60 killed, over 100 wounded in Pakistan mosque blast (Second Lead)

ISLAMABAD - At least 60 people were killed and more than 100 injured Friday when a mosque was hit by a powerful blast by a suicide bomber near Kohat town in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province, state television PTV reported.

The blast targeted a mosque in Darra Adam Khel area under Sapeena police station when the Friday mid-day prayers were being offered, said Shahidullah, Dictrict Cordination Officer (DCO), Kohat. “The roof of the mosque has caved in and several people are still trapped under the debris,” he said.

“Ambulances have reached the spot and emergency has been imposed in the nearby hospitals,” he said, adding “the death toll could only be confirmed after the conclusion of rescue operation. It is premature to say anything about the nature of the blast at this stage.”

Senator Haji Razzaq, who hails from Darra Adam Khel, said “The security situation in the area was precarious and threats from militants were being received.”

Information minister of KPK, Iftikhar Hussain, condemned the blast and said such incidents could not dent the resolve of government against the militants.

“There are no proper medical facilities in the area, which is about 70 km from Peshawar, capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province,” media reports said. “The injured are being shifted to Kohat and Peshawar as rescue officials have reached the spot and started operations,” said GEO TV.

“The suicide bomber who carried out the blast was around 17-18 years old,” the report said quoting security officials. The number of dead and injured is feared to rise as locals are shifting the victims to hospitals in private vehicles as well, it added.

The restive KPK province has become a constant victim of terrorist activities because of its proximity with Afghanistan where the war on terror is underway since 2001 while operation against militants has also been launched in Pakistan’s northwestern areas.