At least 57 people, including seven children, were killed in Pakistan after twin suicide bombings that targeted two Mosques on Friday.
The horrifying attacks came as believers marked the birthday of the Prophet Mohammad, said police and health officials. No group immediately took responsibility for the assaults, from which officials say the death toll could increase. Many people were seriously injured and others were left trapped beneath the wreckage.
Pakistan Suicide Bombings
Senior police official Munir Ahmed said that during the first explosion in Mastung in the southwestern province of Balochistan, the bomber allegedly detonated his explosives near a police vehicle. It was where people were gathered for a procession.
District health official Abdul Rasheed noted that at least 52 people were killed, including children aged between nine and 11. He added that the massive explosion also resulted in the injury of at least 58 others who were in the area, as per Reuters.
In a statement, one witness, Munir Ahmed Shahwani, said he could hear the injured crying for help. He added that he saw at least 25 bodies on the spot lying lifeless, including small children, and said that people were frantically looking for their loved ones.
Law enforcement officials also said that a deputy superintendent of police was among the people killed as he oversaw security arrangements in the area. Senior police officer Javed Lehri said that the victim, Nawas Gishkori, tried to stop the suicide bomber from detonating his explosives but could not reach the suspect in time.
The gathering had people carrying flags and banners at a mosque belonging to the Barelvi sect, generally considered more moderate than hardline Islamic sects such as Salafism. Some hardline sects also consider the Prophet Mohammad's veneration as heresy.
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Deadly Attacks
Balochistan officials declared a state of emergency following the first attack. According to BBC, the second attack resulted in at least five fatalities and happened at a mosque near Peshawar City located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Video footage that recorded the scene in the Balock city of Mastung showed injured people rescued by emergency responders and locals. A local journalist, Saifullah, said that bodies were lying on one another following the deadly blast.
He added that the crowd was waiting for a celebratory procession to start and he was standing nearby when the explosive went off. Saifullah also noted that the victims of the suicide bombing include 10 to 12 of his relatives.
On the other hand, 22-year-old Haibullah, injured in the attack, spoke with journalists from his hospital bed in Quetta. He said that everything was already prepared on the stage and that the bomb went off two minutes after he arrived in the area.
The two suicide bombings in Pakistan come amid a restive period in the country as it has continued to weather a surge of militant attacks in the buildup to general elections scheduled for January, said CNN.
