At least seven people were killed and 70 others injured in an explosion that ripped through Pakistan city Peshawar Tuesday morning, the Dawn reported. The blast was reported at a madrasa in Dir Colony. The cause of the blast is not yet known. Meanwhile, police and rescue officials reached the scene.
“The blast took place in a seminary during a Quran class. Someone took a bag inside the seminary,” Waqar Azim, a senior police official, told AFP
In a statement quoted by the Dawn, Lady Reading Hospital spokesperson Mohammad Asim said that seven dead bodies and 70 injured — including children — have been brought to the facility. He said that the injured were being provided with immediate medical attention and the hospital’s director was present at the emergency ward. An emergency had also been declared at the medical facility, he said.
Even as an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the blast, initial reports suggest an improvised explosive device (IED) was used in the explosion. The area has been cordoned off and police teams are collecting evidence, Senior Superintendent of Police (Operations) Mansoor Aman said. “Five kgs of explosives were used in the blast.”
A month back, five people were killed and two others injured in a blast in the Akbarpura area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The explosion had occurred in a market along the Kabul river.