Women and children were among the victims of the attack, which took place as a morning service was drawing to a close.

The rapidly-rising death toll reached at least 75 within hours of the blast, Peshawar’s police commissioner, Sahibzada Anees, told NBC News.

“A suicide bomber blew himself after entering in to the church hall,” deputy police commissioner Zahir ul Islam told NBC News. “There were between 500 to 600 people present in the church” at the time of attack, he added.

In a statement, Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif strongly condemned the bomb blast, expressing solidarity with the Christian community.