1st LD Writethru: 1 killed, 8 injured in mosque blast in Karachi

At least one person was killed and eight others wounded when a bomb hit a mosque in Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi on Friday afternoon, said a local police officer.

Inspector General Abdul Khaliq Sheikh confirmed that the blast, which happened at the Burhani Mosque in the Aram Bagh area of Karach, had killed one person and wounded eight others.

However, local Urdu TV channel Din News said two people were killed and 10 others injured in the blast.

According to the local reports, the blast took place at about 1: 50 p.m. local time (0850 GMT) when a bomb, fixed on a motorbike parked at the main gate of the mosque, was detonated when people were leaving the mosque after Friday prayers.

Police, paramilitary forces Rangers and rescue teams rushed to the mosque shortly after the explosion.

Bomb disposal squad officers said an estimated 2 kg of explosives were used in the bomb.

All the injured have been shifted to Civil Hospital in Karachi. Hospital sources said several people among the injured were in critical condition and the death toll might rise.

Qaim Ali Shah, chief minister of Sindh Province with Karachi as its capital, condemned the bomb attack.

No group has claimed the responsibility for the attack yet.

Security has been tightened in Islamabad and Lahore following the Karachi blast, said local media. Endi