At least 15 people were killed and 16 others injured in an explosion on Saturday near Parcha Chowk in Karachi’s Shershah area.
SHO Zafar Ali Shah said the blast took place in a drain located below a private bank, who was given a notice to vacate the premises. small river could be cleaned.
Shah said the bank building and a nearby petrol pump were damaged in the blast.
Meanwhile, Dr Sabir Memon, head of the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Trauma Center at Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK), confirmed that 15 people had died and 16 others were injured in the incident who were brought to the hospital. Was. He said that eight injured were discharged after first aid.
The doctor attributed most of the casualties to injuries caused by falling debris and said that none of the bodies smelled of any explosives or chemicals.
According to CHK Additional Police Surgeon Dr Qar Ahmed Abbasi, 13 of the blast victims were brought to the hospital and two others died during treatment.
Earlier, a Karachi Police spokesperson said in a statement that a bomb disposal squad had been called to investigate the blast site, adding that the cause could be ascertained with certainty after the squad submitted its report. Is.
Reports released later in the day concluded that the explosion was caused by a gas leak and accumulation of gases in the gutters under the building.
The police spokesman also said that no evidence of terrorism has been found so far at the blast site.
Earlier in the day, officials reached the blast site and cordoned off the area, Sindh Rangers said in a statement.
Footage of the explosion showed a damaged building and debris lying on the ground. Damaged vehicles can also be seen at the blast site.
People can be seen trying to clear the debris. There are reports of people trapped under the rubble.
Meanwhile, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Communications Shahbaz Gill said that Dilawar Khan, father of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf MNA Alamgir Khan, was also killed in the blast.
“We share in the grief of Alamgir Khan and other bereaved families,” he tweeted, praying for the deceased.
Later in the day, in a message on Twitter, Prime Minister Imran Khan offered condolences with the families of the victims. He said he was “particularly saddened to hear about the loss of the father of our MNA Alamgir Khan who was killed in the blast”.
‘Illegal construction of buildings on drains’
Later, Sindh’s Information Minister Saeed Ghani, while talking to the media, said that according to the details he has received so far, the bank building has been built and the site has been rented out by the industry association.
“I don’t understand how an organization can build a building? small river And rent it out,” said the minister.
Responding to a question, Ghani said that “obviously, and I am not calling this final, the site association is responsible for the incident as it did the construction of the affected building. [on a drain] and rented it out. ,
The minister said that mainly on the construction of any structure small river was not legal.
He said that all structures built on drains in the city should be removed, but the people affected and displaced by this move should also be compensated.
Ghani explained, “It is not as much their fault as those who allotted them the land in the first place.” He said that the institutions, departments, officers and officials allotting land on the drain should be identified so that action can be taken against them.
Later, the Home Department of Sindh, while talking to the media, said that all the structures on which Sewer were illegal.
He said that he has issued instructions for a transparent inquiry into the incident and soon a ‘grand campaign’ against the encroachment would be launched.