8 killed in bomb blast at Peshawar seminary
peshawar — A powerful bomb blast ripped through an Islamic seminary on the outskirts of the northwest Pakistani city of Peshawar on Tuesday morning, killing at least eight students and wounding 136 others, police and a hospital spokesman said.
The bombing happened as a prominent religious scholar during a special class was delivering a lecture about the teachings of Islam at the main hall of the Jamia Zubairia madrassa, said police officer Waqar Azim. He said initial investigations suggest the bomb went off minutes after someone left a bag at the madrassa.
TV footage showed the damaged main hall of the seminary, where the bombing took place. The hall was littered with broken glass and its carpet was stained with blood. Police said at least 5kg of explosives were used in the attack.
Several of the wounded students were in critical condition, and hospital authorities feared the death toll could climb further. —
peshawar — At least eight students were killed and scores more wounded on Tuesday in a bomb attack on a class at a religious school in northwestern Pakistan, officials said.
More than 60 people had been taking a lesson when the explosion tore through the madrassa in Peshawar, about 170km west of Islamabad, said Waqar Azim, a senior police official.
“The blast took place in a seminary during a Holy Quran class. Someone took a bag inside the seminary,” Azim said.
He added that the person who had brought in the bag left the lecture hall before the blast at the Jamia Zuberia seminary.
Mohammad Ali Gandapur, another senior police official, said at least eight people had been killed with more than 50 wounded.
The death toll was confirmed by Mohammad Asim Khan, a spokesman at a local hospital, who said that eight bodies and 70 wounded people had been taken to the facility.
“Most of those killed and injured were hit by ball bearings and some were badly burnt,” he said.
All of the dead were men aged between 20 and 40, he said. Teachers and boys as young as seven were among the wounded.
Kamran Bangash, a spokesman for the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, put the death toll at eight and said about 10 students remained in critical condition.
Teacher Safiullah Khan said more than 1,000 students are currently enrolled at the religious school, which is divided into two sections — one for students aged 18 and older and the other for children.
“The blast took place in the section where students above the age of 18 were taking a class,” Khan said, adding that the wall between the two sections collapsed in the blast.
A live stream of the lesson showed a religious teacher speaking in Pashto and Arabic, when the explosion took place.
Shortly afterwards, rescue workers and locals were seen scouring the site and collecting
students’ books, caps and shoes.
In a tweet, Prime Minister Imran Khan offered his condolences. “I want to assure my nation we will ensure the terrorists responsible for this cowardly barbaric attack are brought to justice asap,” Prime Minister Khan wrote.
The loud blast, which could be
heard across most parts of Peshawar, wrecked the school’s interior and damaged the roof of the main hall.
It was not immediately known why the madrassa was targeted and no group claimed responsibility for the attack, which followed months of relative calm in Pakistan. —
I want to assure my nation we will ensure the terrorists responsible for this cowardly barbaric attack are brought to justice asap
Imran Khan @ImranKhanPTI
Terrorists always aim for soft targets. This area has been peaceful for a long time. Our thoughts and prayers are with people in this hour of grief Shaukat Yousafzai
KP Minister of Labour
The damage inflicted to students is extremely saddening. There is no compensation for the mothers who have lost their children Maryam Nawaz
PML-N leader