UPDATE 2 - Explosion at religious school kills 7 in Pakistan

UPDATES WITH DETAILS, ADDS TURKISH AMBASSADOR'S STATEMENT

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD (AA) - At least seven students were killed and 98 others wounded on Tuesday in an explosion at a seminary attached to a mosque in northwestern Pakistan, an official said.

The bomb exploded in the Dir colony of Peshawar city, Bilal Faizi, the spokesman of rescue service 1122, told Anadolu Agency.

All of the injured have been shifted to hospitals and some of them are in critical condition, he added.

Lady Reading Hospital spokesman Mohammad Asim said that so far they have received seven bodies and 96 injured, while two other wounded were shifted to the Khyber Teaching Hospital.

"Around 25 students among the injured are Afghan nationals while the remaining are from different parts of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province," he said.

Footage shared by rescue officials showed a huge explosion that tore down a large part of the mosque.

Initial police investigation has indicated that the bomb was planted inside the mosque and targeted the seminary students, who were learning Hadith, the sayings and teachings of Prophet Muhammad, sacred law and other Islamic subjects.

"This is a big madrassa and hundreds of students from Afghanistan, Afghan refugee camps in Pakistan and other parts of KP are studying here," Maulana Asmatullah, a teacher of the seminary said.

Most of the students belong to poor and middle class families, he added.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Meanwhile, President Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Imran Khan strongly condemned the attack.

"Deeply saddened by terrorist attack on madrassah in Peshawar. My condolences go to the victims families & prayers for early recovery of the injured," Khan tweeted after the attack.

Turkish Ambassador to Pakistan Mustafa Yurdakul also condemned the attack.

"Targeting young students is as low as it gets...I strongly condemn the attack on a madrassa in #Peshawar. Patience for the relatives of the lost ones and prayers for the quick recovery of the wounded," Yurdakul wrote on Twitter.