Choir members and children attending Sunday school were among 81 people killed in a suicide bombing at a Protestant church in northwest Pakistan. It was one of the deadliest attacks ever on the Christian community in Pakistan. The attack took place at the All Saints Church of Pakistan, in the violence-plagued city of Peshawar, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) from the country's capital, Islamabad. A congregation of about 500 people was attending the church. Two attackers struck right as services concluded. "Suicide bombers entered the church compound from the main gate and blew themselves up in the midst of the people," a statement posted on the diocese website read.
@highlight
The death toll rises to 81, a hospital official says
@highlight
A splinter group of the Pakistani Taliban claims responsibility
@highlight
The Pakistani Taliban distances itself from the bombing
@highlight
The attack is one of the deadliest ever on the Christian community in Pakistan
His criticism was echoed by hundreds of people who took to the streets in largely @placeholder areas of Pakistan, calling for better protection of minority groups.