Two suicide bombers attack Pakistan church killing 85 people in deadliest-ever attack on country's Christians

Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the bombing in Peshawar

The attack on All Saints Church also wounded 140 people

Explosion occurred as worshippers left the church to collect a free meal



Two suicide bombers detonated their explosives outside a historic church in Pakistan today killing 85 people in the deadliest-ever attack on the country's Christian minority.

The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the bombing in the city of Peshawar, saying it would continue to target non-Muslims until the US stopped drone attacks in the country's remote tribal region.

The latest drone strike came on Sunday when missiles hit a pair of compounds in the North Waziristan tribal area, killing six suspected militants, Pakistani intelligence officials said.

Explosion: A Pakistani man helps an injured victim of a suicide attack at a church in Peshawar, Pakistan Mourning: People gather at the site of suicide attack on a church in Peshawa this morning



The attack on All Saints Church, which also wounded 140 people, underlines the threat posed by the Pakistani Taliban at a time when the government is seeking a peace deal with the militants.

The attack occurred as hundreds of worshippers were coming out of the church in the city's Kohati Gate district after services to get a free meal of rice.



'There were blasts and there was hell for all of us,' said Nazir John, who was at the church with at least 400 other worshippers.

'When I got my senses back, I found nothing but smoke, dust, blood and screaming people. I saw severed body parts and blood all around.'

Help: A Pakistani Christian carries an injured woman on her arrival at the hospital



A relative cries after the victims of twin suicide bombings that targeted the Church are moved to a hospital



People stand beside the coffins to be used to repatriate bodies of the victims of the twin suicide bombings

A woman mourns the death of her relatives following the explosion which also injured about 140 people

Survivors wailed and hugged each other in the wake of the blasts. The white walls of the church, which first opened in the late 1800s, were pockmarked with holes caused by ball bearings or other metal objects contained in the bombs to cause maximum damage.

Blood stained the floor and was splashed on the walls. Plates filled with rice were scattered across the ground.

The attack was carried out by a pair of suicide bombers who detonated their explosives almost simultaneously. Authorities found body parts and have been trying to determine their age.

The blasts killed 85 people and wounded another 140. The dead included women and children.

The number of casualties from the blasts was so high that the hospital was running out of caskets for the dead and beds for the wounded, said Mian Iftikhar Hussain, a former information minister of surrounding Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province who was on the scene.

Protest: Members of the Pakistani Christian minority burn tyres as they shout slogans against the bombing



Grief: Relatives clutch the coffins of their loved ones following the explosion today. Hospitals have run out of caskets for the dead and beds for the wounded

Tragedy: Coffins are lined up near the church as relatives flock to the scene to mourn their dead



Pockmarked holes caused by ball bearings contained in the bombs to cause maximum damage are seen



'This is the deadliest attack against Christians in our country,' said Irfan Jamil, bishop of the eastern city of Lahore.

One of the wounded, John Tariq, who lost his father in the attack, asked of the attackers, 'What have we done wrong to these people? Why are we being killed?'

Ahmad Marwat, who identified himself as the spokesman for the Jundullah wing of the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for the attack.

'All non-Muslims in Pakistan are our target and they will remain our target as long as America fails to stop drone strikes in our country,' Marwart told The Associated Press by telephone from an undisclosed location.

Agony: This man's pain is clear to see as another man helps walk to safety



Fury: Christian men shout anti-government slogans in protest against the bombings



Jundullah has previously claimed responsibility for attacks on minority Shiite Muslims in the southwestern Baluchistan province. Hard-line Sunni extremists like the Taliban consider Shiites to be heretics.

The bishop in Peshawar, Sarfarz Hemphray, announced a three-day mourning period in response to the church attack and blamed the government and security agencies for failing to protect the country's Christians.

'If the government shows will, it can control this terrorism,' said Hemphray. 'We have been asking authorities to enhance security, but they haven't paid any heed.'

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif condemned the attack in a statement sent to reporters, saying, 'The terrorists have no religion and targeting innocent people is against the teachings of Islam and all religions.'