Parachinar – At least 22 people were killed and 50 injured in a bomb explosion outside an imambargah at a market in Parachinar on Friday.
Parachinar: Injured people being shifted to Peshawar (258km distance – Travel time 5 hours) due as Parachinar Hospital unable to facilitate so many people.
Emergency imposed in LadyReadingHospital & 2 more Hospitals in Peshawar. Blood donation is requested.
Ikramullah Khan, the local political agent, confirmed the death toll of the blast that took place this morning in the crowded Noor market. The marketplace is a busy area and has several shops. It is also near one of the main imambargahs.
A parliamentarian from Parachinar, Sajid Hussain, told a foreign news agency it was a suicide attack and was preceded by gunfire. “The attack took place in a busy area and a women’s mosque appears to be the target,” he said.
Authorities have not confirmed the nature of the blast.
Hundreds of people were present in Noor Market around when the explosion took place.
Local administration official Shahid Ali Khan confirmed the blast had taken place near the mosque.
Government administrator Zahid Hussain says authorities are transporting the dead and wounded to nearby hospitals.
Hussain said Shias are apparently the target of the attack.
No one has claimed responsibility for the bombing.
The injured persons have been shifted to nearby hospitals. Doctors said they feared the death toll would rise
Security officials and rescue teams rushed to the scene, while the political administration has declared an emergency in all hospitals in the area.
An Army medical evacuation helicopter has also been flown to Parachinar for evacuation of the injured, an ISPR statement said.
