Blast at mosque in Pakistan's Peshawar kills at least 56

A suicide bombing at a mosque during Friday prayers in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar has killed at least 56 people and injured nearly 200, police and hospital officials said.

Two armed men who arrived near the mosque on a motorcycle opened fire when they were stopped by police, before one of them forced his way into a crowded hall and detonated his suicide vest, according to senior police official Ijaz Khan.

The fate of the second attacker remains unclear and authorities were still determining whether he also entered the mosque before the blast, the official said.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

It comes as the Australian cricket team are touring Pakistan for the first time in over two decades and are staying in Islamabad, 140 km from Peshawar.

Following the blast, the Australian cricket coach Andrew McDonald said the team touring Pakistan will be guided by security experts.