Tribesmen gather as they take part in rescue work at the site of a suicide blast near Jamrud in the Khyber agency tribal region, about 30 km from the Afghan border, March 27, 2009. — Reuters

JAMRUD A powerful bomb ripped through a two-storey mosque, packed with worshipers, in the Khyber tribal region, killing at least 50 people and injuring over 150 on Friday.

'It was a suicide bombing', administrator of Khyber tribal region, Tariq Hayat Khan said. Local residents feared that the number of those killed could be higher.

Hayat blamed the defunct Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan for the explosion. 'Their aim is to spread terror and any place where they cause maximum casualties is a legitimate target for them', he said.

Quoting eye witnesses, Hayat said the bomber jumped into the Friday congregation and blew himself up just when the prayers were about to begin.

Eyewitnesses believe the casualty figures are being under-reported and that at least 70 people have been killed, first by the explosion, and secondly by the collapsing of the mosque's ceiling.

'It was a gory scene. There was blood and limbs all around. I had never seen such a horrendous scene in my whole life', an eye-witness, Arman said.

'The moment the imam said Allahu Akbar (God is Greatest), the blast went off,' said Tauseer Khan, 70, from a hospital bed in nearby Peshawar.

'It was huge. I still can't hear properly,' said Khan, who had wounds to his hands and face. His son and grandson were also wounded.

It was such a powerful explosion that the top roof collapsed on the ceiling of first floor, causing it to cave in.

At the time of the prayers, there were 250-300 people inside the mosque and outside in the open courtyard.

The mosque is located on the main Peshwar-Turkham highway, some 20 kilometres to the west of Peshawar, and 25 kilometres east from Afghan border and usually attracts passengers commuting between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Amongst the dead were eleven tribal policemen (Khasadars) and four paramilitary soldiers from the adjacent Bhagyari check post but Hayat denied they could have been the target.

The Baghyari post was jointly manned by almost 100 FC and Khasadar personnel. This post was attacked by militants last month. One militant was killed and two were arrested during the exchange of fire.

The Tehrik-e-Taliban Khyber threatened to attack the security post of the government failed to halt Nato supply via Turkham. 

Most of the 158 wounded were brought to hospitals in Peshawar. A doctor at one of the hospitals said that they had declared emergency to deal with high number casualties and injured patients.  

Worshippers searched through piles of bricks, pulling out bodies and carrying them to ambulances in sheets and on rope beds, television pictures showed.

Police caps, prayer caps, prayer beads and mobiles telephones were later lined up on a wall outside the mosque.

Police initially said a bomb blew up at a police post next to the mosque, which is by the main road leading to the Khyber Pass and the Afghan border beyond.

'It's surprising, those who claim that they are doing jihad (holy war) and then carry out suicide attacks inside mosques during Friday prayers,' Hayat Khan told a private television channel.

'They are infidels. They are enemies of Pakistan. They are enemies of Islam,' he said.

The paramilitary soldiers, local tribal force personnel, passengers and locals from the nearby localities took part in the rescue work. They retrieved bodies and injured from the rubbles and carried them to ambulances and private vehicles to shift them to the hospitals.

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gillani condemned the bombing and leader of the ruling secular Pushtun nationalist Awami National Party in the NWFP, Asfandyar Wali Khan said the perpetrators had committed an inhuman act.

'Those who have perpetrated the attack could not possible be humans. They are animals', he said.