A blast inside a mosque shook Peshawar’s Police Lines area on Monday, with officials saying that at least 44 people were killed and 157 were injured Dawn.com reported.

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Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) spokesperson Mohammad Asim confirmed the number of casualties to Dawn.com.

Peshawar Commissioner Riaz Mehsood said a rescue operation was under way inside the mosque as a number of people were buried under the rubble.

“An emergency has been imposed at hospitals across the city and injured persons are being provided the best medical facilities,” the senior official said.

The outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the blast.

Speaking to the media, Peshawar Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Muhammad Ijaz Khan said that the roof of the mosque collapsed after the blast. “A number of jawans are still stuck under the rubble and rescuers are trying to pull them out.”

He said the main hall of the mosque — which had a capacity of 250 to 300 people — had collapsed but the rest of the building was still intact.

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In response to a question about the nature of the blast, the official said: “The smell of explosives has been detected but it is too early to say anything substantial.”

Khan said between 300 to 400 police personnel were present in the area at the time of the blast. “It is apparent that a security lapse occurred,” the CCPO told the media.

He added that the bodies and injured persons had been moved to the LRH.

At least 17 people were killed and 83 injured in a blast at a mosque in Peshawar’s Police Lines area on Monday afternoon, Dawn.com reported.

Mohammad Asim, a spokesperson for the Lady Reading Hospital (LRC), confirmed the casualties, adding that some of the injured persons were in critical condition.

Meanwhile, police official Sikandar Khan told Reuters that a portion of the building had collapsed and several people were believed to be under it.

So far, it is unclear whether a bomb was planted in the mosque or if it was a suicide attack.

On the other hand, the police have closed roads leading to the Red Zone.

In a tweet after the blast was reported, PTI Chairman Imran Khan strongly condemned the “terrorist suicide attack” in Peshawar and expressed sympathies with the families of the victims.

Elon Musk-owned Twitter has increased the price of its Blue service for Android users, with individuals now having to pay $11 a month.

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Twitter Blue plan starts at $8/month or $84/year in available countries to get the blue checkmark in addition to early access to features.

“All Twitter Blue features will be available immediately except the blue checkmark, which may take time to appear to ensure review of subscribed accounts meets all requirements,” according to the company’s Help Centre page.

With Blue checkmarks, Twitter Blue features offer subscribers a way to enhance and customise their Twitter experience which include custom app icons, custom navigation, top articles, undo tweet, longer video upload, and more.

The Twitter Blue plan is currently available on the web, iOS, or Android only in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and the UK.

The company says that “it reserves the right without notice to remove your blue checkmark at any time in its sole discretion without offering you a refund, including if you violate our Terms of Service or if your account is suspended”.

The micro-blogging platform further mentioned that it is also piloting a new service called Twitter Verification for Organisations, which is a service for business entities on Twitter that adds a gold checkmark to official business accounts.