Death toll from funeral bombing rises to 34

Islamabad: The death toll from a suicide bomb at a funeral in Mardan district of Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakthunkhwa province has risen to 34, according to local media reports Wednesday.

Hours after the suicide attack on Tuesday afternoon, the number of dead was put at 29 by local authorities, but the toll later climbed to 34 as several among more than 50 injured in the explosion succumbed to wounds in hospitals.

Those killed included provincial lawmaker Imran Khan Mohmand of the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI), which leads the governing coalition in the province. He was the second PTI provincial lawmaker to be killed this month. On June 3, PTI provincial lawmaker Fareed Khan was gunned down by unknown assailants in the province’s Hangu district.

The PTI-led provincial government has announced cash compensation for those killed and injured in the suicide attack in Mardan. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.