At least seven people were killed and more than 30 others injured in an explosion near the Old Police Lines in Kohat, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, on Friday, according to Rescue 1122.
Rescue 1122 spokesperson Bilal Ahmed Faizi said several of the injured were in critical condition and that emergency teams were continuing search, rescue and relief operations at the site. The dead and wounded were transported to nearby hospitals by ambulance.
K-P Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hameed said an exchange of fire between police and armed attackers was continuing following the explosion, with security personnel deployed at the scene and the surrounding area placed on alert.
Initial information suggested that a vehicle carrying explosives had been rammed near the Old Police Lines, Hameed said, although investigators were still working to establish the exact nature and circumstances of the blast.
The police chief took notice of the explosion at the Police Lines mosque and sought a report from the Regional Police Officer Kohat. He also directed authorities to ensure prompt and appropriate treatment for those injured.
“Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Police is standing as an iron wall against terrorism. Cowardly attacks cannot weaken our resolve,” Hameed said.
“The blood of the martyrs will not go to waste. The terrorists and their facilitators will meet an exemplary fate,” he added.
Faizi said Rescue 1122 had deployed 14 ambulances along with rescue and recovery vehicles and more than 40 personnel to the scene.
District Emergency Officer Noor-ul-Amin was personally supervising the operation, which would continue until rescue work was completed.
“Rescue 1122 teams are engaged in relief operations at the scene,” Faizi said, adding that further information would be released as it became available.
The casualty figures and circumstances of the explosion remain preliminary as emergency and security operations continue.