At least 30 killed in Upper Dir mosque blast

The blast occurred during Friday prayers in the

Haya Gai area of Upper Dir, Peshawar

A suicide bomber ripped through a mosque packed with worshippers in Upper Dir Friday, killing 30 people and wounding dozens more in the deadliest such attack in more than two months.The bomb exploded at the mosque in the remote, mountainous village of Hayagai Sharqai in Upper Dir.Police said the bomb attack occurred during weekly Muslim prayers, which convene Friday afternoon and generally see mosques packed with worshippers.At least 30 people died in the blast. More than 40 were wounded, Atifur Rehman, the top government official in Upper Dir, told AFP.‘We fear the death toll may rise to 45 because people are still trapped under the debris. Rescue work is under way and there are body parts scattered in the courtyard of the mosque,’ Rehman said.‘The suicide attacker managed to enter the mosque and was trying to get into the middle of the crowd,’ he added.‘Villagers, even women, came out of their homes and they're having to identify their dead relatives through their clothes.’ Meanwhile, a police official Ataullah Khan said 32 dead had been identified and put the number of wounded at 70.‘Still we are pulling out dead bodies and body parts,’ he said, describing the mosque as ‘severely damaged’ in the explosion.Meanwhile, three soldiers were killed and two wounded Friday when a roadside bomb struck a patrol in South Waziristan tribal area between Jandola and Spinka Raghzai, a military official said.—AFP