As the death toll from the suicide blast in Peshawar’s strictly-guarded Police Lines area rose to 100 and the tally of the wounded to 221, families Tuesday flocked to hospitals searching for loved ones – most of whom were policemen offering the Zohr prayer when the suicide bomber struck. The spokesman of Lady Reading Hospital Muhammad Asim said that until now 100 dead bodies from the Peshawar mosque blast were received. He said that until now there were 53 injured in the blast, who were admitted to different wards of the hospital including seven in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), adding that most of the injured were in stable condition. He said that free-of-charge medical treatment, surgeries, tests, and medicines were being provided to the injured at the hospital. The national flag was hoisted half-mast in the province after the announcement of one day official mourning to express solidarity with the blast victims and their families. “My son, my child,” cried an elderly woman walking alongside an ambulance carrying coffins, as rescue workers stretchered the wounded to a hospital emergency unit. Riaz Mehsud, a senior local government official, said the casualty toll was likely to rise as workers searched through the debris just over 24 hours later.
“So far, 100 bodies have been brought to Lady Reading Hospital,” the spokesman for the largest medical facility in the city, Mohammad Asim, said in a statement. The rescue operation to retrieve bodies from the debris of the mosque has been concluded, said Rescue 1122’s spokesperson. Authorities say they do not know how the bomber managed to breach the military and police checkpoints leading into the Police Lines district, a colonial-era, self-contained encampment in the city centre that is home to middle- and lower-ranking police personnel and their families. Speaking during a press conference alongside KP CM Azam Khan, Inspector-General Moazzam Jah Ansari said that about 10-12 kilograms of explosives were used in the blast. Quoting the preliminary investigation report, the sources added, CCTV footage from the Police Lines gate and family quarters is being investigated. He said that there has been a security lapse and investigations are underway to ascertain the facts. “We are checking one-month’s CCTV footage and tracking the facilitators of the bomber,” he added.
The provincial police chief said that a joint investigation team (JIT) has been notified and the probe will clear everything soon. Those responsible will be identified and brought to book, he added. He said that the attacker might have entered the premises as a guest. He added that the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had denied responsibility for the attack last night.
Earlier, the IG said that there are over 2,000 policemen in the Police Lines working with eight different departments. He said that a large number of civilians visit this place on a daily basis, adding that it also has family quarters. “Construction work was also going on in the locality with workers coming in and going out every day,” he added.
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