Several dead in blast at religious school in Pakistan’s Peshawar
Explosion in the northwestern city’s mosque which also serves as a religious school kills seven people and wounds at least 70 others.
Rescue workers collect remains after a blast at a religious school in Peshawar [Abdul Majeed/AFP]
By
Asad Hashim
27 Oct 2020
Islamabad, Pakistan – An explosion at a religious school in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar has killed at least seven people and wounded 70 others, police officials say.
The blast occurred at the Speen Jamaat mosque, which also serves as a religious school for local children, at 8:30am local time (3:30 GMT) on Tuesday, police officials told Al Jazeera.
Television footage from the scene of the blast showed significant damage to the interior of the mosque’s main prayer hall, with pockmarks dotting the ceiling and debris strewn across the floor.
Speaking to reporters, Peshawar city’s police chief Muhammad Ali Khan confirmed seven deaths and at least 72 wounded in the incident.
“This happened at 8:30am, children were reading the Quran here. That is when the explosion occurred,” he said.
“The initial investigation shows […] that 5-6 kilogrammes of explosive material was used… that a bag of explosives was left here.”
A rescue worker examines remains at the site of a blast at the religious school in Peshawar[Abdul Majeed/AFP]Provincial health minister Taimur Khan Jhagra said the wounded were being treated at the Lady Reading Hospital, the city’s main government hospital.
“There have been 72 [wounded] patients brought to LRH, and there have been seven unfortunate deaths,” Jhagra told reporters at the hospital.
“Our sole focus right now is for the injured patients to be given the best possible care and so that they have the best chance to recover.”
More details to follow.
Explosion in a mosque that also serves as a religious school kills seven people and wounds at least 109 others.
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