A pair of suicide bombers blew themselves up outside a church in the Pakistani city of Peshawar, killing 40 people after Sunday mass, security officials said, the deadliest sectarian attack since Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was sworn in in June.
Christians make up about four percent of Pakistan's population of 180 million and tend to keep a low profile in a country where Sunni Muslim militants frequently bomb targets they see as heretical, including Christians, Sufis and Shi'ites.
"Terrorists have not spared mosques, temples and churches. Please have mercy on us," one man outside the church, his face distorted by fear and anger, told Pakistan's private Geo channel.
Police said the death toll included at least four children, two policemen and six women and was likely to rise.
Peshawar's deputy commissioner, Zaheerul Islam, told Geo that 40 people were killed and 70 wounded in a densely populated area near a market....
A bomb disposal security source said there were two explosions carried out by a pair of attackers. More than 600 parishioners were inside the church for the service.
"After the service ended, people started to come out and the suicide bomber rushed towards them," said Najeeb Bogvi, a senior police officer.
Some residents took to the streets immediately after the attack to protest against the violence by burning tires.
Pakistan one of the most dangerous countries in the world for minorities, and Christians, Shi'ite Muslims and Ahmadis are victims of a rising tide of deadly attacks.
Sectarian violence and attacks on security forces have been in the rise in past months, a major challenge for Sharif's government. The violence has also undermined his call to engage militants in peace talks.
In 2009, 40 houses and a church were set ablaze by a mob of 1,000 Muslims in the town of Gojra in Punjab province. At least seven Christians were burnt to death.
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