At least 31 people have been killed and 169 injured in an explosion at a mosque during Friday prayers in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, according to a city official.
Police officials say a suicide bomber detonated a device after approaching the gates of the Shia mosque in the Tarlai area of the city, while eyewitnesses have told the BBC the blast was preceded by the sound of gunfire.
An emergency was declared as hospitals began to receive the wounded, with an appeal sent out for blood donations.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has condemned the incident, expressing “deep grief”.