A suicide blast claimed by the Islamic State group (IS) at a Shiite mosque in Islamabad killed at least 31 people on Friday, with 169 more wounded in the deadliest attack in Pakistan¡¯s capital since the 2008 Marriott hotel bombing.

City officials said 31 people died in the explosion at the Imam Bargah Qasr-e-Khadijatul Kubra mosque in the Tarlai area on the city¡¯s outskirts, with scores more being treated for injuries. The death toll was expected to rise further.

The blast occurred at Friday prayers, when mosques around the country are packed with worshippers. ¡°The attacker was stopped at the gate and detonated himself,¡± a security source said.