Suicide bomber kills at least 59 at mosque in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD and LONDON -- A suicide bomber detonated explosives inside a mosque in northwestern Pakistan on Monday, killing and wounding dozens of worshippers, officials said.

The blast occurred at a mosque near police offices in Peshawar, the capital of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, not far from the country's border with Afghanistan. More than 150 people were reportedly were praying when the suicide bomber struck. An eyewitness told ABC News that the roof collapsed from the impact.

Security and government officials confirmed the explosion was from a suicide bomber. The Pakistan Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, have claimed responsibility for the attack.

At least 59 people were killed and more than 157 others were injured, a local hospital spokesperson told ABC News. Among those killed were at least 33 police officers. The death toll has risen to 74, The Associated Press reported late Monday night, citing police and rescue officials.

It's not clear how the bomber was able to slip into the walled compound, which houses the police headquarters in the northwestern city of Peshawar, and is itself located in a high-security zone with other government buildings.

Pakistani Prime Minster Shehbaz Sharif, who visited the scene in Peshawar on Monday, condemned the bombing and urged people to donate blood to help save the wounded.

The U.S. Embassy in Islamabad also issued a statement condemning the "horrific attack."