4th LD writethru: 19 killed, over 40 injured in twin suicide attack in Pakistan's Peshawar

At least 19 people were killed and over 40 others injured in a twin suicide attack at a mosque of Shia Muslims in Pakistan's northwestern provincial capital of Peshawar Friday afternoon, officials said.

Information Minister of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province Mushtaq Ghani said at least 19 bodies and over 40 injured including children were brought to the three hospitals of the city after the incident.

The official said death toll may further rise as some of the injured were in critical condition in the hospitals.

Police Chief of the Province Nasir Durrani said the incident took place at 1:35 p.m. local time when three suicide bombers wearing the uniform of a paramilitary force entered into the mosque from the backyard of the building in the Hayatabad Area of the city.

The attackers threw hand grenades and opened fire at the security guards and the people who were offering Friday prayer in the mosque.

One suicide bomber was shot dead by a guard while second exploded his jacket in the gallery while the third bomber succeeded in entering into the main hall of the mosque and exploded his jacket amid the people who were offering prayer.

The attackers arrived in a car and torched it before starting the attack. The terrorists first entered into a under construction building adjacent to the mosque and from there they cut the barbed wire at the wall and jumped into the mosque, the police official said.

The bomb disposal squad has diffused the unexploded hand grenades and the explosive jacket of the attacker who was shot dead by the guard.

Rescue teams rushed to the site and shifted the bodies and injured to the hospital

Police and personnel of Pakistan army cordoned off the areas and launched a search and clearance operation in the mosque and nearby buildings.

The security forces have arrested a suspect and shifted him to undisclosed location for interrogation.

An eyewitness said that at the time of the attack around 200 people were present in the mosque.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.

Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif condemned the blast and directed the concerned authorities to provide the best available medical treatment to the injured.

The organizations representative Shia Muslims in the country announced a three-day countrywide mourning over the incident.

It is the second suicide attack at the Shia Muslims in Pakistan during the last two weeks. Earlier on Jan. 30, at least 62 people were killed and over 60 others injured when a suicide bomber attacked a Shia mosque during a Friday prayer in the country's southern district of Shikarpur. Endi