KARACHI - At least six worshippers lost their lives and seven others were wounded when metal awning collapsed at a mosque near Landi Kotal Chowrangi, North Nazimabad, after Friday prayers.

A temporary sunshade fell on the courtyard area of the Usman mosque following prayers, said police official Zulfiqar Haider. "I was in the mosque myself ... people were offering prayers following the conclusion of the (main) Friday prayers when we heard a loud crash following a gust of wind," he said.

The corrugated metal awning fell directly on worshippers, he said.

Faisal Yaqoob, 60, and his 22-year-old son Abdur Rafay were among the victims. The others included Akhtar Hussain, Muhammad Saleem and Humayun Rabbani. The bodies and the injured were taken to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for autopsy/medical treatment.

Witnesses said the metal awning collapsed with a loud bang as the people concluded their Juma prayers at Jamia Masjid Usman.

A heavy contingent of law enforcers rushed to the site, believing some kind of terrorist activity caused the collapse. Security agencies, however, ruled out any sort of terror attack.

Human limbs and blood were seen on the floor while the entire mosque echoed with the screaming by relatives of the victims after the incident, the witnesses narrated.

The incident took place just after Friday prayers, saving the lives of many others as majority of the people had left the mosque. Abdul Hamid, the muazzin of the mosque, said the incident occurred after 15 minutes of the Friday prayers at around 2:15pm.

He said construction work had been in progress in the 40-year-old mosque for the last one-and-a-half-year. The incident occurred at the courtyard of the mosque located between the two construction sites inside the mosque that has capacity of over 1,500 worshippers at a time.

“The fans caused casualties while the metal awning collapsed due to speedy winds apparently,” a police officer said.

A large number of worshippers, Rangers and police also participated in the rescue operation.

Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah has sought a report from the Karachi commissioner, questioning how the worship was allowed at an under-construction mosque.

Temperatures in Karachi often hit maximums of near 40 degrees Celsius in the summer, and the awning had been erected to shield worshippers from the sun.

Karachi, a sprawling metropolis of more than 20 million people, is one of the world's largest urban areas, but construction codes are often ignored.