Five people killed, 10 injured in mosque explosion in northwest Pakistan

Five people were killed and 10 others were injured in a suicide bombing at a mosque in northwestern Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Friday, rescue teams reported.

The incident took place in the prayer hall of a mosque located on the premises of a police station in Hangu district, the State Rescue 1122 spokesman Bilal Faizi reported to Xinhua correspondent.

“Two suicide bombers hauled hand grenades at the police at the main gate of the police station. One of them was killed in a shootout with the police, and the other one managed to get inside the mosque,” Bilal Faizi said.

The roof of the building partially collapsed when the suicide bomber detonated his explosive vest, he added.

According to him, there were from 30 to 40 people inside the mosque at the time of the explosion. Some of them were trapped by debris.

The rescue operation was completed, all the victims were found and taken to the district military hospital, Bilal Faizi indicated.

There are fears the death toll could rise as several of the wounded are in critical condition, he added.

So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The explosion was the second one on Friday after one in Balochistan province in the southwest of the country. As a result of that attack, 50 people were killed and more than 50 were injured.