Pakistan Charsadda: Eyewitnesses recount university attack

A student tells local media his friend jumped from a building in panic during the attack

After gunmen killed at least 19 people in Bacha Khan University in north-west Pakistan, survivors and eyewitnesses recounted how their Wednesday morning classes were interrupted:

'My friend jumped from the building'

"There was so much panic and fear that a friend of mine jumped from the university building," an unnamed student told Reuters.

"The building is very high, yet he jumped from it because he was so scared."

People comforted each other after the attacks on the university

'We never saw him get up'

Another student also spoke of somebody jumping from the building.

"We saw three terrorists shouting, 'Allah is great!' and rushing towards the stairs of our department," he told the AFP agency.

"One student jumped out of the classroom through the window.

"We never saw him get up."

Chemistry lecturer 'had a gun'

Geology student Zahoor Ahmed said his chemistry lecturer Syed Hamid Hussain warned him not to leave the building after the first shots were fired.

He told AFP: "He was holding a pistol in his hand. Then I saw a bullet hit him. I saw two militants were firing. I ran inside and then managed to flee by jumping over the back wall."

'Firing from the roof'

Witness Farooq Khan survived the attack.

"I saw three terrorists, one was on the roof, he was firing from there," he told AFP.

"I saw four university security guards, they were injured and we took them to ambulances."

Students were rescued from the attack on the university, which is about 50km (30 miles) from Peshawar

'Many killed'

Shabir Khan, a lecturer in the English department, told Reuters:

"Most of the students and staff were in classes when the firing began. I heard one security official talking on the phone to someone and he said many people had been killed and injured."

'Explosions'

An unidentified witness told the local channel GeoTV:

"I personally heard two explosions near hostel number one. We don't know if they were suicide bombers or grenades. I personally saw two explosions and smoke was rising."

'Automatic assault rifles'

Botany teacher Mohammad Ishtiaq told the AP agency that he jumped out from the second floor of the building and broke his leg when he heard gunshots.

Two attackers were on the first floor and three on the ground floor, he said, and both were using automatic assault rifles.

He said: "I locked myself in a washroom.

"I jumped out when I saw one of the attackers coming toward me and shooting straight ahead of him."

Aiziz Khan spoke of the bravery shown by the security forces after the attack

'Great bravery'

Student Aiziz Khan escaped unhurt. He told Reuters that he stayed inside to avoid the shooting:

"We heard firing from the back of the campus. We thought maybe some people were fighting. Then the shooting got worse.

"We said 'get in the rooms, don't go out'. Then the security forces came.

"They showed great bravery."