16 dead, over a dozen injured in Karachi explosion

PESHAWAR (Pajhwok): Sixteen people have been killed and over a dozen others injured in an explosion in Pakistan’s port city of Karachi.

The massive blast, which happened in Shershah neighbourhood late on Saturday, damaged a private bank, a petrol pump and several vehicles parked in the area.

A police official said the bank had already been put on a notice to vacate the building so the drain beneath it could be cleaned up.

Ruling party lawmaker Alamgir Khan’s father was among the fatalities. Hospital sources confirmed receiving 14 bodies from the blast site.

Ten of the injured were discharged after receiving medical treatment, while six remain under observation, including two who are on ventilators.

CCTV camera footage showed a number of people who fell to the ground as a result of the explosion, which was caused by gas accumulation in the drain.

Citing the bomb disposal squad’s report, police said the blast took place in a gas pipeline running through the drain located in the area.

The report concluded that the blast occurred due to gas leakage and accumulation of gases in the drain. No evidence of terrorism has been found yet.

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