Peshawar: At least 16 people were killed in a suicide blast targeted at a mosque near the old Police Lines in the Kohat district in northwest Pakistan on Friday afternoon.
The blast occurred during Friday prayers, the police said. Over 50 people were injured.
The attack occurred approximately 60 kilometers southwest of Peshawar, the capital of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, India Today reported.
Provincial police chief Zulfiqar Hameed confirmed the casualties included five police personnel and 11 civilians. The explosion detonated outside the building, leaving behind a noticeable crater, with police confirming that most of the wounded were worshippers.
Tahir Ali Shah, the medical superintendent of the district headquarters hospital, reported to Geo News that 15 bodies and more than 50 injured individuals were brought to the facility following the attack.
Emergency response teams arrived shortly after receiving notification to launch a rescue operation, transporting victims to nearby hospitals for initial treatment while assessing the ongoing situation on site, Rescue 1122 spokesperson Bilal Ahmad Faizi stated.
No group has claimed responsibility for the suicide attack so far.