In Pakistan School Attack, How One Girl Reportedly Escaped

Girl, 13, survived because she played dead, woman tells BBC.

ByABC News
December 16, 2014, 11:39 AM

— -- At least one student survived today's tragic Taliban attack at a Pakistan school by playing dead, the BBC reported.

Shireen Khalid Wadud told the BBC that her friend's 13-year-old daughter was the only one to escape from her class when the attackers bombarded the military-run school in Peshawar.

She told the network the girl was trying to find her brother, another student, when shots fired and there was "bloodshed everywhere."

"She pretended to be dead because her clothes were washed up in blood," Wadud said. "And then when they thought that she was dead, they turned away, and that is how she managed to escape from the back door."

"She is wounded in her leg, but fortunately it is not serious," Wadud added. "She is in hospital. She is very panicked and she is frightened."

A student named Jamal told The Associated Press he didn't realize he had gotten shot in the chaos.

"I saw children falling down who were crying and screaming," he told the AP from his hospital bed. "I also fell down. I learned later that I have a bullet."

Another student said he and others locked the door when they heard the shooting, but the gunman shot through it, according to the AP.

At least 141 people died in the attack, a Pakistani official said. Panicked parents have been searching for their children at area hospitals. Most of the victims are students.