Minutes before the explosion that has now claimed at least 31 lives, worshippers were gathered for Friday prayers at a Shiite imambargah in Islamabad.
Eyewitnesses said the blast occurred shortly after prayers began, a time when mosques are typically crowded, turning the place of worship into a scene of panic and devastation.
Attacker Stopped At Gate, Then Opened Fire
According to police sources, the attacker was intercepted by security guards at the main gate of the imambargah but managed to detonate himself after running at least 20 metres inside the premises, AFP reported.
Eyewitnesses said the terrorist was first stopped at the main entrance of the religious site, where he began firing.
“He then ran inside at least 20 metres, and as the prayer was underway, he blew himself up,” Geo News quoted eyewitnesses as saying.
Security officials and witnesses said the attacker opened fire when confronted by guards, injuring security personnel, before running further inside the premises and triggering the blast around 20 metres from the gate, according to Geo News.
‘I Immediately Thought A Big Attack Had Happened’
Hussain Shah, who was praying in the mosque courtyard at the time, said he heard a sudden, loud explosion.
“I immediately thought that some big attack has happened,” Shah told the Associated Press.
He said he then entered the mosque to scenes of chaos. “Many of the wounded were screaming and crying out for help,” he said.
Shah said he counted around 30 bodies inside the mosque, while the number of injured appeared to be significantly higher.
Casualties Feared To Rise
More than 130 people were injured in the blast, and officials said the death toll was expected to rise further.
The force of the explosion shattered windows of the three-storey imambargah as well as nearby residential buildings, eyewitnesses said.
Rescue operations and hospital rush
Adults and children were rushed to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) on stretchers and in private vehicles, many with blood-soaked clothes. At least one injured person arrived at the hospital in the boot of a car.
Friends and relatives of the wounded were seen screaming and crying outside the heavily guarded emergency ward.
Following the explosion, law enforcement agencies, including Pakistan Army troops and Rangers, cordoned off the area as rescue operations were launched.
Hospitals in Islamabad were overwhelmed, prompting authorities to shift some injured patients to medical facilities in Rawalpindi.
Emergency Imposed At Hospitals
Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Irfan Nawaz Memon said an emergency had been imposed at PIMS, Polyclinic Hospital and the Capital Development Authority hospital to manage the influx of casualties.
