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Blast kills 50 at Pakistan mosque  Mohammad Sajjad / Associated Press Pakistani tribesmen search for survivors after a blast destroyed a mosque near Jamrud, in the Khyber region near the Afghan border. The apparent suicide bombing came on the holiest day of the Muslim week, as the mosque was packed with worshipers. There is no immediate claim of responsibility, but officials blame Islamic militants. By Zulfiqar Ali and Laura King
8:09 AM PDT, March 27, 2009 Reporting from Peshawar, Pakistan and Istanbul, Turkey -- An apparent suicide bombing in Pakistan destroyed a mosque near the Afghan border today, killing at least 50 people and wounding more than 100, officials and witnesses said. Scores of people were missing in the bloodstained rubble.
The attack, near the town of Jamrud in the Khyber tribal area, came on the holiest day of the Muslim week, as the mosque was packed with worshipers. In the aftermath of the blast, prayer caps, cellphones and sandals lay scattered on the rocky ground. It was Pakistan's most lethal suicide bombing in months and underscored the spiraling violence that President Obama's new regional policy, unveiled today in Washington, is meant to help address.
More than 200 people were inside the two-story mosque at the time of the explosion, which sent the roof crashing down and blew out the walls. Hours later, frantic, weeping survivors were still milling about, some of them tearing at the debris with bare hands, searching for relatives and friends.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but officials blamed Islamic militants. Insurgents have been steadily tightening their grip on the Khyber tribal area, through which a key route into Afghanistan runs.
The mosque was located close to the main highway and frequented by locals as well as travelers. It was also a popular place of worship with police and paramilitary troops stationed at a nearby checkpoint.
The ranking local official, Tariq Hayat Khan, told Pakistan TV that the bomber managed to make his way into the mosque compound undetected.
Abdul Ghani, who was in the courtyard outside, said the blast tore through the building just as the cleric began leading prayers.
Abdul Ghani, 70, suffered minor cuts, but his son and grandson, closer to the explosion, were seriously hurt.
Fleets of vehicles -- cars, trucks, even motorcycles -- served as makeshift ambulances, evacuating the wounded to hospitals. It was feared that the death toll would rise as searchers combed the wreckage.
Area hospitals were swiftly overwhelmed, and doctors said some badly injured victims died en route to nearby towns, or succumbed after arriving at hospitals in Peshawar, a provincial capital.
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