The death toll in the car bomb blast in Peshawar's Meena Bazaar has touched 116, while over 20 people were still missing and believed to be buried under the rubble that could not be removed due to lack of required equipment, reports The News published from Islamabaed.
Rescue workers of the Peshawar Development Authority (PDA) retrieved 10 bodies from the debris of a collapsed building on the second day of the blast.
The bodies of two children were recovered from the rubble of a mosque, Masjid Umme Habiba, late at night while several persons succumbed to injuries in hospital.
Of the retrieved bodies, 71 were completely burnt in the blaze. Those killed in the blast included 32 women and 12 children.
According to Edhi Foundation, , over 60 people approached them with complaints that their loved ones were missing. Officials fear around 40 bodies could still be trapped under the debris.
A schoolteacher, Kulsoom, is among those missing. Her relatives saw her on television while being carried in an ambulance but could not trace her whereabouts. She is from the family that lost eight members in the explosion.
Among those still missing was the mother of three young daughters, Mona Mushtaq, and her sister-in-law, Abida, a widow and mother of a 12-year-old boy.
Those still searching for their loved ones under the rubble of the destroyed buildings were critical of the poor rescue work by the authorities, who could not remove the debris even after 36 hours of the tragedy.
Investigators said, an open pick-up van was used in the blast.
Emotional scenes were witnessed at the funeral prayers of the victims. People continued to visit Lady Reading Hospital to donate blood for the victims.
