A deadly explosion took place today at a mosque in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, where people had been gathering for Friday prayers.

Here's the key information we've learnt about the blast.

From officials:

• The explosion has killed 31 and left 169 injured, according to the city's deputy commissioner

• Police say the blast was a suicide attack, and have cordoned off the area of the explosion
• Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari says the attack, which was "targeting innocent civilians", is a "crime against humanity"

• An emergency has been imposed over major hospitals across Islamabad and its bordering city, Rawalpindi

From witnesses:

• The mosque's caretaker says "bodies were lying everywhere" when he arrived at the scene
• Another witness recalls hearing the sound of bullets being fired as the prayers started. A rescue official tells the BBC that gunfire continued for a while before the explosion

• One witness describes a gunfight with mosque guards before the explosion

The identity of those responsible for the attack is yet to be confirmed, and the death toll is "expected to rise further" according to a senior police official who has spoke anonymously to the AFP news agency.

We're ending our live coverage now. You can read more details on this story in this article on our website.

Image source, Reuters

Pakistan's Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has also strongly condemned the blast in Islamabad.

In a statement posted on the Pakistan government's X account, Sharif expresses his deep sorrow and grief, and shares his sympathy with families affected.

The prime minister calls for a thorough investigation into the incident and says the people responsible for the incident should be identified immediately.

Umer Draz Nangiana
BBC Urdu

I spoke to one of the rescue officials who was one of the first responders.

He said it was a shooting and bombing incident, and that gunfire continued for a while before the explosion.

Some of the injured who were moved to the hospital had gunshot injuries, he tells me.

A spokesperson for Afghanistan's Taliban-run foreign ministry has said it "strongly condemns" the blast at a Shia mosque in Pakistan's capital today.

Spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi says on X that the government considers such attacks acts against Islamic and human values.

It offers its "deepest condolences to the families of the victims" and "swift healing" for the wounded.

Caroline Davies
Pakistan correspondent

In a post on X, Pakistan's defence minister says the attacker involved in today's explosion at a Shia mosque in the capital "has been proven to have been coming and going from Afghanistan".

In the same post he accuses India of using proxies against Pakistan.

The minister does not provide evidence or further details connecting today's attack to either country. The police investigation is still ongoing into the explosion.

Relations between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban have rapidly deteriorated since the autumn last year.

Pakistan accuses the Taliban government of harbouring militant groups which then attack Pakistan, a claim the Taliban government publicly refute.

Pakistan has sent over one million Afghan nationals to Afghanistan in the past year according to the UN Refugee Agency figures, and the border between the two countries is closed.

The latest photos from the scene show security forces being stationed at the site.

Image source, SOHAIL SHAHZAD/EPA/Shutterstock

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Reuters

Umer Draz Nangiana
BBC Urdu

The blast happened at a time when there is a talk of a military operation in Tirah Valley in Pakistan's restive Afghan border region.

Thousands of families have recently migrated from the valley to safer locations although, Pakistan government has not officially confirmed the operation.

Pakistan recently witnessed a major co-ordinated militant attack at multiple locations in the province of Balochistan, where security forces on Thursday said they killed more than 200 militants.

In November last year, a suicide attack targeting district courts in Islamabad killed 12 people.

Uzbekistan’s president is also visiting Islamabad. The site of the blast is not too far away from the Pakistani capital's red zone area that houses important government buildings.

Last year was the deadliest year in over a decade, as combat-related deaths surged 74%, with militants accounting for more than half the death toll, according to a new report released by an independent think tank.

Today's bomb attack happened at a mosque located in the Tarlai Kalan area of the Pakistani capital Islamabad, to the southeast of the city centre.

Another eyewitness, Zaheer Abbas - who was injured during the attack - tells me that prayers had just started when he heard the sound of bullets being fired.

He says after people bowed for prayer, there was an explosion. He then saw injured people lying everywhere.

Abbas adds that he then became disorientated. He continues by saying shortly afterwards the police and rescue personnel arrived, pulling him out and taking him to the hospital.

Abbas says he fortunately was not badly injured.

Shahzad Malik
BBC Urdu

An eyewitness tells me that two attackers approached the entrance of the mosque where six guards were present and three had weapons with them.

The witness says the attackers opened fire at the guards – two guards with weapons fell while the third one retaliated.

The eyewitness continues by saying one attacker fled the location while the other managed to get through.

He only managed to go through the gate when he got hit by a bullet, and as he was falling to the ground he detonated his suicide vest, the witness adds.

The police have not yet shared any details about a gunfight.

Umer Draz Nangiana
BBC Urdu

The explosion happened at the time when a large number of people had gathered for Friday prayers at Khadijatul Kubra Mosque, located in the Tarlai Kalan area of the Pakistani capital Islamabad.

Police officials said it was a suicide attack.

The bomber is said to have detonated the explosives when he was stopped at the entrance of the mosque.

Police and security personnel have cordoned off the area while investigators are gathering evidence from the site.

An emergency has been imposed at major hospitals in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

Caroline Davies
Pakistan correspondent

Eyewitness and mosque caretaker Syed Ashfaq has been speaking to me over the phone.

"My house is right next to the Imambargah," Syed says.

"I heard gunfire and ran from my house, thinking there must be trouble."

"By the time I reached it there had already been an explosion. Bodies were lying everywhere, some were missing arms, some missing legs," Syed adds.

"We took the most injured in our own vehicle [to hospital]," Syed says.

The chief minister of Pakistan's Punjab region, which borders Islamabad, has said 25 ambulances have been sent to Islamabad to help people affected by the blast.

In a post on X, Maryam Nawaz Sharif says all hospitals across the Rawalpindi District, which lies in the northernmost part of the Punjab province, have been put on high alert.

She says specialist surgical teams are on standby.

Here are some photos showing the aftermath of the deadly explosion at the Islamabad mosque.

Image source, SOHAIL SHAHZAD/EPA/Shutterstock

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

"A total of 31 people have lost their lives.

"The number of wounded brought to hospitals has risen to 169," says Islamabad's deputy commissioner Irfan Memon in a statement.

The blast at a mosque in Islamabad has been strongly condemned by Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari.

Zardari says "targeting innocent civilians is a crime against humanity".

He also says the entire nation stands shoulder to shoulder with the families affected, the AP news agency reports.

Video shows worshippers outside Islamabad mosque after deadly blastpublished at 11:32 GMT 6 February

11:32 GMT 6 February

Image source, X

By Shruti Menon

We've verified a video showing the aftermath of an explosion during Friday prayers at a mosque in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, where at least 30 people have been killed according to officials.

The video shows footwear scattered across the mosque compound and people lying or sitting on the ground while others call for help.

We've established the video is recent by conducting reverse-image searches and confirmed the blast happened at Imambargah Khadijatul Kubra in the Tarlai area of Islamabad.

The cause of the explosion is being investigated.

We will update here when more details become available.

At least 30 people have been killed in an explosion at a Shia mosque during Friday prayers in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, local officials have said.

The blast at a mosque in the Tarlai area of the city prompted an emergency to be declared at three hospitals in the city, with a government official saying more than 160 had also been injured.

The cause of the blast was not immediately clear, however reports have suggested it was carried out by a suicide bomber.