More than 50 dead, many wounded in Afghan mosque blast.

Kunduz,

At least 50 people were killed in a bomb attack on a Shiite mosque in the Afghan city of Kunduz on Friday, in the latest violence to rock the country since the Taliban takeover in August.

“We have received more than 90 wounded patients and 50 dead bodies, but the number will change. We are still receiving more people,” said a Doctors Without Borders, hospital worker, who did not want to be named.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid had earlier said an unknown number of people had been killed and injured when “an explosion took place in a mosque of our Shiite compatriots” in Kunduz.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but the Islamic State group, bitter rivals of the Taliban, has claimed similar recent atrocities.

According to News agency, Residents of Kunduz, the capital of a province of the same name, blast hit a Shiite mosque during Friday prayers, the most important of the week for Muslims.

Zalmai Alokzai, a local businessman who rushed to Kunduz Provincial Hospital to check whether doctors needed blood donations, described horrific scenes.

“I saw more than 40 dead bodies,” he told foreign news agency. “Ambulances were going back to the incident scene to carry the dead.”

An international aid worker at the MSF hospital in the city told news agency there were fears the death toll could rise.

“Hundreds of people are gathered at the main gate of the hospital and crying for their relatives but armed Taliban guys are trying to prevent gatherings in case another explosion is planned,” he said.