At least seven students have been killed following the bombing of an Islamic seminary school on the outskirts of the Northwest city of Peshawar in Pakistan. The bomb, which also wounded more than 112 people, exploded early Tuesday.
According to authorities, the bomb exploded while a lecture was being held by a prominent religious scholar at the main hall of the Jamia Zubairia madrassa. Investigators found that the explosion occurred minutes after an unidentified visitor had left a bag at the main hall.
Television footage aired by local media outlets showed extensive damage to the seminary, which was littered with shattered glass and carpets stained with blood. Bomb experts said that the bomb likely contained up to 11 pounds of explosives.
Local hospitals said that dozens of students had arrived in critical condition and doctors fear that the death toll could rise as more succumb to their injuries. Most of the students that had died due to the blasts were those in their mid-20s.
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan publicly condemned the bombing and assured the public the government will provide all the necessary aid to victims of the incident. The bombing occurred just days after Pakistani intelligence was warned that militants could attack public establishments such as office buildings, mosques and schools across the country.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. Peshawar, which is the capital of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa near Afghanistan, has been the target of several militant attacks in recent years.
A similar attack had occurred just two days before the bombing in Peshawar. A bomb exploded in the southwestern city of Quetta earlier in the week, killing three people. Since the country allied itself with the U.S. and its fight against terror after the Sept. 11 attacks, Pakistan has become the target of domestic Taliban forces and extremists.
The so-called Pakistani Taliban had even declared war on the government with the group carrying out numerous attacks over the years. The worst attack happened in 2014 when militants assaulted an army-run school in Peshawar, killing 140 children and teachers.
