This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-21289738
The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 1 | Version 2 |
---|---|
Pakistan bomb: 19 die in Hangu Shia suicide attack | |
(35 minutes later) | |
At least 19 people have been killed and dozens injured in a suicide bomb attack outside a Shia mosque in the north-western Pakistani town of Hangu, reports say. | |
The attack took place as worshippers were leaving Friday prayers. | |
The town of Hangu is close to Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal regions, which have a strong Taliban and al-Qaeda presence. | The town of Hangu is close to Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal regions, which have a strong Taliban and al-Qaeda presence. |
The town is also known for sectarian violence against Shias. | |
No group has yet said it carried out the attack. | No group has yet said it carried out the attack. |
Local police chief Mian Mohammad Saeed said the bomb went off at one of the exits of the Shia mosque leading to the Pat Bazaar. | |
"It was a suicide attack which targeted Shias but Sunni Muslims also fell victim since their mosque and some shops were also very close to the site," he said, quoted by AFP news agency. | |
Explosives were packed into a motorcycle in a narrow street. | |
Security forces have cordoned off the area, and the injured have been taken to a local hospital. | Security forces have cordoned off the area, and the injured have been taken to a local hospital. |
Pakistan has experienced worsening sectarian violence in recent years. | |
In November, 23 Shia Muslims were killed by a bomb in the city of Rawalpindi, and last month 19 pilgrims died in an attack on a bus convoy in Baluchistan. | |
Then on 10 January, more than 80 people died in twin blasts in a snooker hall in a Shia area of the city of Quetta. |