PRAYERS will be held at mosques in Southampton today to commemorate the deaths of 141 people who were killed in a terrorist attack in Pakistan.

Members of the Pakistani and Islamic communities are heading to the Abu Bakr and Medina Mosques after an attack on a school in Peshawar left a country in mourning.

Shocking images have been shown across the world after gunmen went from class to class shooting students at the Army Public School in the North West of the country.

Organised by the Taliban, the attack has been referred to a “national tragedy” by Khalid Farooq of Southampton's Pakistan Welfare Association.

Mr Farooq said “too many families” have been left “devastated” by this event which is the Pakistani Taliban's deadliest attack to date.

He said: “This is a very big tragedy that's shaken up the whole community. They shocked the whole of Pakistan. We need to capture these [members of the] Taliban.

“This is a very bad attack, no one can think about it.”

The Pakistani Taliban said they had carried out the attack to avenge army-led operations against them in the Khyber and North Waziristan areas.

Mr Farooq added that prayers will be held at the Abu Bakr Mosque in Argyle Road and the Medina Mosque in Compton Road at 1.30pm.

Plans are also being made to hold a candle-lit vigil in Southampton city centre.