Death toll from Pakistan suicide bombing rises to 54

The death toll from Sunday's suicide bombing in northwest Pakistan has risen to 54, with eight critically wounded people succumbing to their injuries on Monday.

Eight more people died in hospitals on Monday, bringing the death toll from the suicide bombing in Bajaur tribal district to 54, Shaukat Abbas, head of the police counter-terrorism cell in Peshawar, the capital of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, told reporters.

Over 80 people were injured, many of them critically, and are being treated at various hospitals in Bajaur, Peshawar, and other nearby districts, he added.

A suspected suicide bomber, who is believed to have acted alone, blew himself up an hour before a public rally organized by Jamiat Ulema Islam (JUI) in the tribal Bajaur district, near the border with Afghanistan.

There is no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. However, police have launched an investigation into the terrorist attack, which was one of the deadliest in recent months.

The government has already declared an emergency in several hospitals, bringing in additional paramedics to help with the overburdened staff.

According to officials, 36 bodies have been handed over to families for burial so far.

Local media reported that funeral prayers for the deceased were held in various parts of Bajaur amid emotional scenes.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Army Peshawar Corps Commander Lt-Gen. Hassan Azhar Hayat visited the district headquarters hospital in Khar, the main town of Bajaur, to inquire about the injured, state-run Pakistan Television reported.