Yahoo TV

STORY: This is the aftermath of a suicide bombing at a crowded mosque in Pakistan's Peshawar.

More than 40 people died in the attack on Monday according to city officials (January 30), in the latest violence targeting police in the northwestern city.

Hospital officials said scores were wounded, with many of them in critical condition.

A police official said that there were at least 260 people in the mosque when the explosion happened.

Social worker Mohammad Bilal was quickly on the scene.

"I was in my shop. I am a member of Al Khidmat (an NGO). As soon as we received information about the blast, I jumped into an Edhi Foundation ambulance and came here. When we went inside, we took out around seven injured people and rushed them to LRH (Lady Reading Hospital). Two of them died on the way, the rest were taken into the hospital. The front of the mosque has been demolished. The structure has collapsed and many worshippers are still trapped under it. However, we have no idea how many."

Peshawar is an area where Islamist militants remain active, though no-one immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing.

The blast ripped through the mosque during noon prayers, causing a wall to collapse on top of worshippers.

The building is inside a highly fortified compound that includes the headquarters of the provincial police force and a counter-terrorism department.

The country's defense minister told Pakistani station Geo TV that authorities believe the terrorist was stood in the first row.

Peshawar sits at the edge of Pakistan's tribal districts bordering Afghanistan.

It's frequently targeted by militant groups, including the Pakistani Taliban.

The group, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP, is an umbrella of Sunni and sectarian Islamist groups.

They want to overthrow the government and replace it with their own brand of Islamic governance.

The TTP has stepped up attacks since it ended a so-called peace deal last year with the Pakistani government - facilitated by Afghan Taliban.

It has staged frequent attacks targeting police in the last few months.