The death toll from twin suicide attacks at a busy marketplace in northwest Pakistan has risen to 57, officials say.
The Friday attacks at the bazaar in Parachinar, the main town of Kurram tribal district on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, were the deadliest to hit the country during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
“The death toll from the suicide attacks has now risen to 57,” a senior administration official in Kurram, Riaz Mehsud, told AFP on Saturday.
Earlier, he had put the death toll at 51.
“At least 206 people sustained injuries in the attacks and the condition of 14 injured is critical,” Mehsud said.
Another senior local administration official, Muhammad Asghar Khan, also confirmed the new death toll.
The explosions had sent handcarts flying as shoppers bought food to open their fasts at sunset.
Parachinar administration officials said both blasts were carried out by suicide bombers, who walked into the crowded market.
“We found many body parts, including parts of the suicide bombers. There was blood and human flesh at the blasts site,” Mehsud said on Friday.
The area where the bombers struck is mainly inhabited by minority Shi’ite Muslims but officials said they could not immediately identify the victims.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility but attacks waged by Sunni Muslim extremists against Pakistan’s Shi’ites, who account for 20 per cent of the 180 million population, are on the rise.
