News Wrap: At least 59 killed in bombing at Pakistan mosque

Geoff Bennett:

In the day's other headlines: U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken urged Israelis and Palestinians to step back after days of growing bloodshed.

The secretary arrived as Israeli troops killed another Palestinian in the occupied West Bank and after a Palestinian gunman killed seven Israelis on Friday. Blinken said all civilian casualties are deplorable.

In Northern Pakistan, a suicide bomber killed at least 59 people and wounded 157 others today at a mosque inside a police compound. It was the deadliest attack yet in escalating violence there.

Stephanie Sy has our report.

Stephanie Sy:

In the city of Peshawar today, a man blew himself up among a crowd of worshipers. The explosion was so powerful, it caused the mosque's roof to collapse, the wreckage landing on the nearly 400 worshipers below.

Rescue workers scrambled to the scene and used machinery and their bare hands to pick through the rubble in search of survivors.

Khawar Muhammad, Rescue Worker (through translator):

We reached the site after the blast and there was chaos. I rescued seven people and put them in ambulances. One portion of the mosque had totally collapsed due to the blast.

Stephanie Sy:

Police say they're investigating how the attacker managed to slipped through several barricades to enter the secured compound and whether he had inside help.

The Pakistani Taliban formally denied any involvement in the bombing in the country's northwest, after one of its commanders claimed responsibility on Twitter. The Pakistani Taliban is separate, but ideologically aligned with the Taliban in Afghanistan. Both defend an oppressive interpretation of Islam.

Today, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited the wounded at their hospital bedsides and called for stern action. Pakistan has faced a surge of such attacks since November, when a cease-fire between the Taliban and the Sharif government broke down. Tonight, mourners attended a mass funeral, expressing grief over the country's latest tragedy, one of the deadliest attacks on security forces in years.

For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Stephanie Sy.

Geoff Bennett:

The mosque attack was widely condemned, even by the Taliban government in Afghanistan. That group is a close ally of the Pakistani Taliban.

The grinding war in Ukraine has claimed more lives today with neither side gaining much ground. Ukrainian officials said Russian shelling killed five civilians in the last 24 hours. In turn, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appealed to Western nations to speed up shipments of tanks and other heavy weapons. Later, President Biden, when asked by reporters, said the U.S. will not provide F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.

Back in this country,the Virginia elementary school where a 6-year-old shot his teacher reopened today. Students returned to class in Newport News more than three weeks after the shooting. Security was tighter and the classroom where the shooting happened remained closed. The wounded teacher, Abby Zwerner, is recovering at home.

On Wall Street, tech shares led stocks lower, as investors wait for the Federal Reserve's next interest rate move later this week. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 261 points to close it 33717. The Nasdaq fell 228 points, or 2 percent. The S&P 500 was down 1 percent.

And two passings of note tonight.

Hockey legend Bobby Hull has died. He spent most of his 16 seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks and help them win the Stanley Cup back in 1961. His blond hair and speed on the ice earned him the nickname the Golden Jet. And he was twice named most valuable player on his way to pro hockey's Hall of Fame. Bobby Hull was 84 years old.

And Barrett Strong, one of Motown's founding artists, has passed away. He's best remembered as writer and lead singer on Motown's first major hit, "Money," released in 1963.

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Geoff Bennett:

Strong collaborated on other classics, including "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" and "War." Barrett Strong was 81 years old.

And still to come on the "PBS NewsHour": President Biden visits Baltimore to tout the benefits of infrastructure funding; a look at former President Donald Trump's support among evangelicals as he ramps up his campaign; and a new book examines the political influence and legacy of the Baby Boomer generation.