Karachi/Islamabad. At least 16 people were killed and 15 injured on Saturday in a massive explosion triggered by gas accumulation in a sewage line in Pakistan’s financial capital Karachi. According to the newspaper ‘Express Tribune’, the building of HBL Bank was damaged due to gas explosion in a closed sewer in Shershah area of Karachi. Most of the casualties of the blast are customers and employees of HBL Bank.
Qazi Shahid Parvez, Secretary of the Home Department of Sindh province, confirmed that 16 people were killed and 15 others were injured in the blast, Dawn newspaper reported. Among the dead was the father of Alamgir Khan, a member of the ruling party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. SHO Zafar Ali Shah said the blast took place in a drain located under a private bank. Notice was given to vacate the building premises so that the drain could be cleared.
Karachi Administrator Murtaza Wahab said an investigation was underway to determine the cause of the blast. A preliminary report by the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) said that the explosion took place due to accumulation of gas in the sewage line. The report quoted a senior official as saying that counter-terrorism officials were also investigating the blast.
A police spokesman clarified that there was no evidence to indicate that the blast could be linked to a terrorist incident, Geo TV reported. However, Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) has stated that there is “no SSGC gas pipeline” in the area.
Refuting the BDS report, the SSGC said, “It is important to note that neither the flames were visible nor the smell of natural gas was found in the area. This is a clear indication that the blast did not occur in any of the SSGC pipelines.”
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Police said the bank building was built on the part of the sewage and gas pipeline, which has made it difficult to ascertain whether the explosion was caused by accumulation of gas in the sewage line or something along the gas pipeline or explosive material was placed there. Went. South Zone Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Sharjeel Kharal said, “We do not know whether it was a gas explosion or not. Our first priority is the rescue operation and then we can find out the cause of the blast.”
Footage of the explosion showed a damaged building with damaged vehicles and debris on the ground while rescue workers were trying to retrieve the injured. According to Geo TV, eyewitnesses claim that several people are buried under the debris of the damaged building. A machine was also sent to the spot to clear the debris. A report in Geo TV said that a Bomb Disposal Unit (BDU) also reached the spot and the spot was cordoned off.
Geo TV’s report said that another blast occurred during the rescue and search operation but no casualties were reported. Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has ordered a detailed inquiry into the incident. The blast comes a day after Pakistan is hosting the 17th Extraordinary Meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Islamabad to deal with the situation in Afghanistan. (agency)