At least five people were killed and 20 others injured after an explosion tore through Darul Uloom Haqqania, a madrassa in Pakistan's Akkora Khattak district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, during Friday prayers.

Axar.az reports citing Geo, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General Police (IGP) Zulfiqar Hameed said that Maulana Hamid-ul-Haq Haqqani, the son of Maulana Sami-ul-Haq Haqqani, was the target of the attack.

Maulana Hamid, the vice administrator of Darul Uloom Haqqania and emir of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Sami (JUI-S), succumbed to his injuries as he was being given medical aid, the top cop said.

The official further said said that police teams were present at the site of explosion and a search was also underway in the surroundings. Forensics and investigation teams had been dispatched to the incident site and the district police officer was also present there, the IGP said.

KP Inspector General Zulfiqar Hameed also stated that, "It appears to be a suicide blast, as per initial investigations.

This was the last Friday prayer before Ramadan, drawing a large crowd of the worshippers. The mosque is located inside the compound of the madrassa, whose students were set to go on leave, as it marked the final day of their academic year.