Mosque bombing in Pakistan capital kills at least 31 people

An explosion tore through the Khadija al-Kubra Shia mosque on the outskirts of Pakistan’s capital during Friday prayers, killing 31 people and injuring at least 169 others. Police said they were investigating whether the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber.

Television footage and social media images showed police and residents transporting the injured to nearby hospitals, and there were fears the death toll could rise as some of the wounded were reported to be in critical condition. Rescuers and worshippers described a chaotic scene, with bodies lying on the carpeted floor of the mosque.

Hussain Shah, who said he was praying in the courtyard, recalled a sudden, loud explosion: “I immediately thought that some big attack has happened.” A clip shared on social media claimed there were at least two attackers who fired before detonating bombs: “People were lying in the pool of blood.

Pakistan