India, Sept. 18 -- A blast near a mosque close to a police office complex in Pakistan on Friday killed at least 16 people and left over 50 people injured, according to local media reports citing officials.

The blast reportedly took place near a mosque close to the old Police Lines in Kohat, around 60 kilometres southwest of Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The explosion occurred during Friday prayers and left a crater outside the mosque, Geo News reported citing authorities. Police personnel were among those injured, it added.

Police said a suicide bomber detonated explosives near the Special Branch building. They added that an exchange of fire was ongoing.

Pakistan's interior ministry confirmed in a post on X that an expl...