Kathmandu: At least 47 people have been killed by a bomb that apparently targeted policeman praying in a mosque in Peshawar, Pakistan.
As reported by the BBC News, no group has said it carried out the attack, but it has been linked to the Pakistan Taliban.
The group ended a ceasefire in November, and violence has been on the rise since.
In December it targeted a police station – like Peshawar, in the north-west of the country – leading to the deaths of 33 militants.
Early unconfirmed reports said a bomber had blown himself up in the mosque.
Peshawar police chief Muhammad Ijaz Khan told local media that between 300 and 400 police officials in the area at the time.
The blast took place around 13:30 (08:30 GMT) during afternoon prayers in the north-western city, near the country’s border with Afghanistan.
A video circulating on social media and verified by the BBC showed that half of a wall caved in. The mosque was covered in bricks and debris as people clambered over the rubble to escape.
Last March, Peshawar was the target of another bombing, which killed dozens in a Shia mosque.
In the capital, Islamabad Police issued a security high-alert and said security at all entry and exit points to the city had been increased.
(News Source: BBC)