THE death toll has risen to at least 87 people after a mosque suicide bombing which targeted policemen in the Pakistan province of Peshawar.
The mosque is within a high-security police headquarters area and a probe is under way into how the bomber got in.
Pakistan’s PM and other leaders have condemned the attack – one of the worst in the country in recent years.
The Pakistani Taliban has denied involvement after an initial claim by one of its commanders.
“Terrorists want to create fear by targeting those who perform the duty of defending Pakistan,” said PM Shehbaz Sharif.
On Tuesday, rescuers were still scrambling to retrieve worshippers buried in the rubble, with a spokesman telling BBC Urdu the operation would continue for another three hours.
“The rescue operation has been going on for more than 18 hours,” Mohammad Bilal Faizi said.
“The bodies of 20 more people have been recovered and it’s feared that some bodies may still be under the rubble.”
A hospital spokesman confirmed that more than 100 remained wounded. Meanwhile, funerals have been carried out for more than 20 police officers, their coffins draped with the Pakistan flag.
Between 300 and 400 police officers had been in the area at the time, Peshawar police chief Muhammad Ijaz Khan earlier told local media.
The mosque is in one of the most heavily controlled areas of the city, which includes police headquarters and intelligence and counter-terrorism bureaus.
Mr Sharif said those behind the attack had “nothing to do with Islam”. He added: “The entire nation is standing united against the menace of terrorism.”
The Pakistan Taliban – a group separate to Afghanistan’s Taliban government – ended a ceasefire in November, and violence has been on the rise in the country since.
In December it targeted a police station – like Peshawar, in the north-west of the country – leading to the deaths of 33 militants.
