14 killed, at least 12 injured in Karachi blast

KARACHI: At least 14 people were killed and more than a dozen others injured in a blast that took place at Paracha Chowk in the city’s Shershah neigbourhood on Saturday. A search and rescue operation is currently underway and the toll may climb higher.

PTI MNA Alamgir Khan’s father is among those to have died in the explosion, PTI-Karachi president MPA Khurram Sher Zaman said.

He also said that among the injured, four are in critical condition.

Police said the blast took place in a gas pipeline running through a nullah located in the area, causing immense damage to the building of a private bank which was constructed atop it.

Rescue officials arrived at the scene to shift the injured to the Civil Hospital for treatment.

Eyewitnesses on the spot claim that there are many people who are buried underneath the debris of the building. Two excavators have been called to the site to remove the debris and rescue any persons trapped.

A bomb disposal unit (BDU) has arrived at the location of the blast. Police and Rangers officials have cordoned off the area.

The BDU will be able to begin investigating the cause of the blast after police conclude their search operation.

An eyewitness, speaking to a private news channel, said that since it is a Saturday today, only nine employees of the bank were reporting for duty.

Rangers personnel and Edho volunteers arrive at the site to rescue those trapped underneath the debris. Photo: Shershah Youth Council.

Rangers personnel and Edho volunteers arrive at the site to rescue those trapped underneath the debris. Photo: Shershah Youth Council.

He said the bank was about to shift to a new place but it was “our bad luck” that the blast took place before the branch could be shifted to the new location.

The eyewitness said that there were a few bank customers who were buried beneath the debris as well.

Another eyewitness spoke to a private news channel, saying that he was having petrol filled in his motorcycle when the blast took place.

The eyewitness said he saw a few people fall into the nullah underneath the building when the blast took place.

During the rescue and search operation, a second blast took place when a few electric wires, which were being taken down, collided with a gas line.

No loss of life was reported in the second blast.

CM Sindh orders inquiry

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has directed the commissioner Karachi to conduct an inquiry into the incident and submit a report over its findings, a spokesperson of the chief minister said.

“Police officers should be included in the inquiry so that all aspects [of the blast] can be investigated, ” the chief minister said, expressing deep sorrow over the loss of lives in the blast.

CM Shah issued instructions to the secretary of health to provide necessary facilities to the injured at the Civil Hospital immediately.

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