Pakistan mosque blast: More confirmed dead in marathon search of rubble - BBC

The decease toll has risen to astatine slightest 87 radical aft a mosque termination bombing which targeted policemen successful the Pakistan state of Peshawar.

The mosque is wrong a high-security constabulary office country and a probe is nether mode into however the bomber got in.

Pakistan's PM and different leaders person condemned the onslaught - 1 of the worst successful the state successful caller years.

The Pakistani Taliban has denied engagement aft an archetypal assertion by 1 of its commanders.

"Terrorists privation to make fearfulness by targeting those who execute the work of defending Pakistan," said PM Shehbaz Sharif. He declared a nationalist time of mourning.

On Tuesday, rescuers were inactive scrambling to retrieve worshippers buried successful the rubble, with a spokesperson telling the BBC the cognition would proceed for different 3 hours.

"The rescue cognition has been going connected for much than 18 hours," Mohammad Bilal Faizi said.

"The bodies of 20 much radical person been recovered and it's feared that immoderate bodies whitethorn inactive beryllium nether the rubble."

The BBC saw ambulances racing successful and retired of the compound each fewer minutes.

A infirmary spokesperson confirmed that much than 100 remained wounded. Meanwhile, funerals person been carried retired for much than 20 constabulary officers, their coffins draped with the Pakistan flag.

Between 300 and 400 constabulary officers had been successful the country astatine the time, Peshawar constabulary main Muhammad Ijaz Khan earlier told section media.

The mosque is successful 1 of the astir heavy controlled areas of the city, which includes constabulary office and quality and counter-terrorism bureaus.

Mr Sharif said those down the onslaught had "nothing to bash with Islam". He added: "The full federation is lasting agreed against the menace of terrorism."

The Pakistan Taliban - a radical abstracted to Afghanistan's Taliban authorities - ended a ceasefire successful November, and unit has been connected the emergence successful the state since.

In December it targeted a constabulary presumption - similar Peshawar, in the north-west of the country - starring to the deaths of 33 militants.

Monday's blast took spot astir 13:30 (08:30 GMT) during day prayers successful the north-western city, which is adjacent the country's borderline with Afghanistan.

A video circulating connected societal media and verified by the BBC shows fractional of a partition caved in. The mosque was covered successful bricks and debris arsenic radical clambered implicit the rubble to escape.

Hours aft the blast, BBC News witnessed a installation afloat of the injured, galore inactive wearing their constabulary uniforms.

Some were covered successful burns cream, their tegument reddish with burns from the explosion. Others person breached bones from being deed by falling rubble.

One antheral said helium inactive could not perceive due to the fact that of the dependable of the blast. Another antheral said helium had been rescued aft being trapped nether the rubble for astir an hour.

The premier curate travelled to Peshawar connected an exigency visit, wherever helium volition beryllium briefed by section officials and sojourn those wounded by the blast.

UN Secretary General António Guterres condemned the attack, with his spokeswoman saying: "It is peculiarly abhorrent that specified an onslaught occurred astatine a spot of worship."

The onslaught connected the mosque took spot astatine the commencement of a cardinal week for Pakistani diplomacy.

On Monday, the president of the United Arab Emirates, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, was owed to sojourn Islamabad - though the travel was cancelled astatine the past infinitesimal due to the fact that of atrocious weather.

On Tuesday, an International Monetary Fund delegation is meant to sojourn Pakistan arsenic portion of the process to unlock a bailout indebtedness to forestall the state from defaulting.

In the superior Islamabad, constabulary issued a precocious alert and said information astatine each introduction and exit points to the metropolis had been increased.