KARACHI, May 7: Fourteen people were killed and 96 others wounded when a suicide bomber blew himself up in a mosque on the premises of Sindh Madressatul Islam here on Friday, officials said.

Violence broke out in many localities of the city after the blast. Angry protesters set fire to eight vehicles and a petrol pump at and around Numaish intersection.

The blast occurred at about 1:17pm in the sixth row of the faithful, ripping through the 1894-built Hyderi Mosque only moments before the beginning of Zohrain prayers.

President Gen Pervez Musharraf called the attack a 'heinous act of terrorism' and ordered an inquiry. Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali also directed the Sindh government to hold an immediate inquiry into the incident.

Mr Jamali vowed strict punishment of the perpetrators. "Those who committed this cold-blooded murder cannot be termed Muslims as Islam shuns violence," APP quoted him as saying.

The blast was so intense that pieces of flesh flew up to about 22-foot-high ceiling of the mosque and got stuck there. It badly damaged the five doors and left the blades of ceiling fans moulded.

Blood was seen spattered all around and limbs were scattered in and around the mosque. Rescuers collected the body parts and took them to the Civil Hospital. "Ambulances arrived within no time and took the wounded to the Civil Hospital," said a witness.

Over 100 worshippers were in the mosque when the blast occurred, said Hasan who was performing ablution at that time. "I rushed inside the mosque where fixtures were falling, and body parts, shattered windowpanes, etc., were littered all around," he said.

Aftab Shaikh, adviser to Sindh chief minister on home affairs, who visited the mosque soon after the blast, said: "It is an act of terrorism in which 14 people were killed.

The blast is aimed at destabilizing the peace process, investment climate and our efforts to have stable government in Sindh. We condemn it and we will meet this challenge and trace the culprits".

SSP Investigation Manzoor Mughal told Dawn initial finding showed it was a suicide bombing as the blast did not leave any crater on the ground. "The bomber was standing next to a cast-iron pillar. The blast caused the pillar to collapse," he said.

The SSP claimed that the bomber wanted to destroy the two pillars erected in the centre of the 60-foot-long and 35-foot-wide hall. Had both the pillars collapsed, the roof resting on them would have caved in and the casualties would have been much higher, he said.

A senior investigator was of the opinion that the suicide bomber wore beneath his clothes a multiple-pocket vest that carried approximately 2kg of explosive material. Sources at the Civil Hospital said two of the bodies were completely mutilated.

Bones of one body, apparently that of the bomber, were totally crushed, they said. Police believed the second body was of the victim who was standing next to the suicide bomber. The SSP said that Mr Ali Hasan, a regular visitor to the mosque, had told the police that he had been watching a suspicious man who had been coming to the mosque for the past few days.

"He (suspect) had no moustache, but had a light beard," he said. The SSP said that on Thursday Mr Hasan inquired the suspected man about his identity, and he replied: 'Are you stopping me from offering prayers'.

The police have engaged Mr Hasan in preparation of a sketch of the suspect. "At present we suspect the same person as the suicide bomber," the SSP said. According to a press note, the Sindh government announced a compensation of Rs100,000 for the families of each deceased and Rs30,000 for each injured.

Allama Hasan Turabi, who also visited the mosque, condemned the government for its failure to protect the worshippers. He pointed out that despite its 'sensitive' location the mosque had inadequate security.