India Today quoted Pakistani Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah as telling parliament that 97 of the 100 people killed were police. The incident happened when nearly 400 police officers were gathered at a mosque located inside a large complex of buildings that are the headquarters of the police, with an outer wall.
At least 170 others were injured in an explosion that destroyed the upper floor of the church, according to an update on January 31 by Reuters.
Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Staff of the Army (COAS) of Pakistan Asim Munir visit an injured person after a suicide bombing in a church in Peshawar on January 30 – Photo: REUTERS
The attack happened on January 30 in the Police Lines district of Peshawar city in northwestern Pakistan, near the border with Afghanistan. It is believed to be the deadliest attack in a decade amid an increase in violence against police here.
Riaz Mahsud, a senior local government official, said the death toll could rise as rescuers continued to search through the rubble.
Rescuers are still trying to search through the rubble – Photo: REUTERS
The bodies of 100 victims of the blast were taken to nearby Lady Reading Hospital.
The explosion is believed to have been carried out by a suicide bomber. Authorities say they don’t know how the bomber got past the military and police checkpoints leading into the Police Lines district, as the district is a closed area in the heart of the city, where the police are located. police officer lives with his family.
View of the ruins inside the church after the bombing – Photo: REUTERS
Due to security concerns in Peshawar, the aforementioned mosque was built right inside the complex of police headquarters so that they could pray without leaving the area. According to Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, the bomber was in the front row of the prayer room when he attacked.
No group has officially claimed responsibility for the catastrophic church blast.