UPDATE - Death toll in Pakistan mosque blast rises to 56

UPDATES WITH CASUALTIES; ADDS REMARKS BY PRESIDENT, PM, INTERIOR MINISTER; CHANGES HEADLINE, DECK, LEDE

ISLAMABAD (AA) – A suicide bomber blew himself up during weekly Friday prayers at a Shia mosque in northwestern Pakistan, killing at least 56 people and injuring 194 others, authorities said.

The suicide bomber was stopped by police at a mosque in Peshawar's bustling Qissa Khwani bazaar, but he forced his way into the mosque's main hall, said police chief Haroonur Rashid.

In a statement to the media, Mohammad Asim, a spokesman for the Lady Reading Hospital, where the blast victims were shifted, confirmed the death toll rose to 56.

He added that more than 194 others are receiving treatment at the hospital due to injuries, with some of them in critical condition.

According to eyewitnesses, the suicide bomber was dressed in black local attire and when he approached the mosque's front gate, he started firing, killing one security guard on the spot and injuring two others.

No one has claimed responsibility for the blast so far. However, in the past, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, a conglomeration of terrorist groups, claimed responsibility for such attacks.

President Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Imran Khan strongly condemned the attack and expressed grief and sorrow over the loss of lives.

Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, who said it was a terrorist attack, ordered authorities to investigate the bombing.