Peshawar: Rescue officials on Tuesday recovered the severed head of the suspected suicide bomber who they believe blew himself up inside a mosque packed with worshippers during the afternoon prayers on Monday in the high-security zone in Pakistan’s restive northwestern Peshawar city.
The death count from the bomb blast rose to 93, with 221 people severely wounded, police officials said, even as rescue operations continued to retrieve the remaining bodies from the debris.
The powerful blast occurred inside the mosque in the Police Lines area around 1.40 pm when worshippers, which included personnel of the police, army and bomb disposal squad — were offering the Zuhr (afternoon) prayers.
The suicide bomber who was present in the front row blew himself up, causing the roof to collapse on the worshippers, officials said.
Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Peshawar Mohammad Aijaz Khan told Geo TV that the blast appeared to be a suicide attack and the head of the suspected bomber was recovered at the site in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
“It is possible that the attacker was already present in the Police Lines before the blast and that he may have used an official vehicle [to enter],” he was quoted as saying by Geo TV.
Khan added the exact nature of the blast will be known once the rescue operation concludes
