31 killed, dozens injured in Islamabad mosque blast

KABUL (Pajhwok): At least 31 people were killed and dozens more injured in an explosion inside a Shia mosque in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Friday, media reports said.

The powerful blast occurred at the Khadija Tul Kubra mosque in the Tarlai Kalan area of southeastern Islamabad during Friday prayers, Al Jazeera reported.

A senior police official, speaking to Al Jazeera on condition of anonymity, said the explosion appeared to be a suicide attack, though the exact cause has not yet been confirmed. “Our team is at the site and we are in the process of determining the cause,” he added.

A security source told AFP that the attacker detonated himself after being stopped at the mosque gate.

According to a statement from the Islamabad administration, 169 people were transferred to hospitals following the explosion.

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