Dozens of people were killed and many more injured, due to a suspected suicide attack near a mosque in the city of Peshawar in northwestern Pakistan, local authorities said on Monday.

Police and hospital officials have said that at least 27 people had lost their lives and some 140 had been injured.

There are fears that the death toll will continue to rise as emergency services clear the rubble, and many of those who have been taken to hospital were listed in “critical condition.”

“A portion of the building had collapsed and several people are believed to be under it,” police official Sikandar Khan said told Reuters news agency.

What do we know about the blast?
The explosion came as worshippers gathered for daily prayers. Initial estimates suggested that at least 150 people had been inside at the time.

The blast occured in the city’s government district on Police Lines Road. Authorities said many of the victims were believed to be police officers.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif condemned the bombing, promising “stern action” against those responsible.

He made it clear that terrorist attacks “have nothing to do with Islam.”

“Terrorists want to create fear by targeting those who perform the duty of defending Pakistan,” Sharif said.

Although no group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, local police told reporters that initial evidence suggested a suicide attack. Such attacks in the past have often been at the hands of the Pakistani Taliban.

Peshawar in the capital of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan.