KARACHI: At least five people were killed and 20 others sustained severe injuries in a massive bomb blast in the upper portion of a multi-story building located at Maskan Chowrangi in Karachi’s Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Geo News reported.
Police and Rangers teams reached the spot soon after the incident and launched a rescue operation.
The injured were shifted to a nearby hospital where the condition of seven people is said to be critical.
The nature of the blast has not been ascertained yet but the impact of the explosion was so severe that windowpanes of the nearby building were shattered. Police officials say that the blast may have occurred due to a gas cylinder, but clarified that the Bomb Disposal Squad was investigating the incident.
A Geo News reporter shared that the first two floors of the building have been severely damaged which has weakened the foundations of the building. The authorities are facing difficulty in rescuing the people stuck on the other floors of the building as the staircase has been damaged due to the blast.
Affected building to be razed
Education Minister Saeed Ghani, who had arrive at the blast site on the CM’s instruction, said that the authorities were 99% sure that no one was under the rubble.
“All the residents have been rescued from the building,†said Ghani, adding that the evacuated people were shifted to another location as the “building is not liveable†and will have to be “brought downâ€.
Speaking about the reason for the blast, Ghani suggested that it may have happened due to a gas line leakage, but did not rule it as the main cause for the explosion.
“We cannot say anything right now whether it was cylinder or gas leakage blast. I am not an expert but I feel it might have happened due to a gas line leakage,†said Ghani.
Ghani said that there was no sign of fire or explosive material.
CM Sindh takes notice of blast
Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah has taken notice of the incident and directed the commissioner Karachi to submit a detailed report on the incident.
In a tweet issued by CM House, Murad Ali Shah has instructed officials to provide treatment to the injured and expressed his sadness over the loss of lives.
