Islamabad:At least seven people were killed and 70 others injured in a powerful explosion at a seminary in Peshawar, the capital city of Pakistan's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Tuesday morning.
Some unknown militants placed an improvised explosive device inside the seminary and detonated it while fleeing, Senior Superintendent of City Police in Peshawar Waqar Ahmad told media.
The blast which occurred around 0800 hrs was heard in the vicinity of 500 metres. There was a large number of students inside the seminary, and routine morning classes were being commenced when the explosion occurred, local media reported.
The seminary's administration said that students between the ages of 22 and 28 were present in the class at the time of the explosion.Bodies of the victims lay strewn in the rubble. Police reached the spot and launched the rescue operation with the help of locals.
No group or individual has claimed the attack yet. The injured were shifted to a local hospital where the condition of several wounded is still said to be critical.Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan strongly condemned the blast and expressed grief over the loss of life.
"Deeply saddened by terrorist attack on madrassah in Peshawar. My condolences go to the victims families & prayers for early recovery of the injured. I want to assure my nation we will ensure the terrorists responsible for this cowardly barbaric attack are brought to justice asap", Khan wrote on Twitter.(UNI)
