35 killed as blast hits Shiite mosque in S. Pakistan

At least 35 people were killed and over 50 others injured as a blast hit a Shia Mosque in Pakistan's southern district of Shikarpur on Friday afternoon, officials said.

Deputy Commissioner of the district, Hadi Bakhsh, said that 35 bodies and over 50 wounded people are present at hospitals of three cities in the region.

Bakhsh said that death toll may further rise as some of the injured were in critical condition and are being treated in the intensive care units of the hospitals.

Deputy Inspector General of Police, Sain Rakhio Mirani, said the incident took place at 1:40 p.m. when a young boy in the disguise of a beggar placed an explosive device near the stairs inside the mosque in Lakhi Dar area in downtown Shikarpur city.

According to the Bomb Disposal Squad, at least 5 kilograms of explosives along ball bearings were used in the bomb and it was detonated with a remote-controlled device. "We are checking whether the boy who brought bomb was also killed in the blast or not, because we have found the remote- control from the mosque premises,"said the police officer.

Earlier, some local media reports said that it was a suicide attack, but no official has confirmed it so far.

At the time of the blast, around 600 people were offering their Friday prayers in the mosque, police said.

Following the blast, roof of the old hall of the mosque also collapsed and several people were injured after being trapped under the debris.

Police and rangers, a paramilitary force, have cordoned off the area and launched a search operation.

Provincial Health Minister Jam Mehtab said severely injured people are being treated at hospitals in nearby cities due to the shortage of medical facilities at the local hospital.

The Inter Services Public Relations, the mouthpiece of the Pakistan Army, said the Pakistan army has also sent four ambulances and army doctors from nearby Pano Aqil Garrison to treat injured patients.

The bomb attack took place when Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was chairing a meeting on the law and order in the port city of Karachi, capital of southern Sindh Province.

Reiterating his government's resolution to eradicate the menace of terrorism and extremism in the country, Nawaz Sharif has condemned the bomb attack and sought a report on it.

The prime minister extended condolences to the bereaved families and asked the authorities to provide best medical treatment to the injured.

According to local English paper Express Tribune, militant group Jundallah, which pledged its support to Islamic State last year, has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen Pakistan and Shia Ulema Council, representative organizations of the Shia Muslims in the country, announced a three-day countrywide mourning over the attack.

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