22 dead, 50 injured in Hangu attack

ISLAMABAD (PAN‘s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Friday, officials said.

The blast in the town of Hangu came as worshippers poured out after Friday prayers in the crowded Pat Bazaar area, police said.

The attack occurred in a tight lane housing two mosques —one frequented by Shia sect members, and the other by the Sunni. It remained unclear who was the target because the blast killed both Sunnis and Shias.

Hangu police chief Mian Muhammad Saeed told reporters the injured were taken to nearby hospitals, adding the attack came amid tight security measures in place around the two mosques.

Eyewitness Abid said the bomber detonated his explosives near the Purdil mosque that belongs to the Sunnis. He added those got killed were coming out of the mosque after prayers through an exit leading to a crowded market.

However, Saeed said the attack “targeted Shias but Sunni also fell victim since their mosque and some shops were very close to the site.

Officials at the District Headquarters Hospital confirmed receiving more than 50 injured people with 16 in serious condition shifted to hospitals in Kohat. They also confirmed 22 bodies had been brought to the hospital.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.

mm/ma

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