KARACHI - Two people were killed and eight others were seriously wounded in a powerful bomb blast in the outskirts of the city late on Friday night. The bomb disposal experts, however, were able to recover and defuse another bomb placed near the site of the first blast.
Police officials said the blast took place under the Quaidabad flyover within the limits of Shah Latif police station that falls in District Malir of Karachi.
Panic and fear gripped the locality as, following the incident, extra contingent of law enforcers including police and Rangers rushed to the site and surrounded the area.
According to SSP District Malir Irfan Bahadur, the terrorists had planted two separate improvised explosive devices under the fruit carts, adding one of them was exploded with a loud bang. Experts from the bomb disposal squad recovered and defused the other, he added.
The experts also examined the blast site. According to them, both the bombs were made by a single hand and were concealed in lunch boxes, adding that each bomb weighed around 500 grams of explosives.
Rescuers from different welfare organisations also reached the site of the blast and shifted the victims to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for medico-legal formalities and treatment.
According to sources at JPMC, two people were brought dead while eight injured were also brought to hospital of which some of them were in critical condition. The deceased persons were identified as 16-year-old Pupu, son of Mushtaq and 18-year-old Ali Hassan who was a fruit vendor. The injured persons included Rasheed Rafiq, 18, Mushtaq Bilal, 22, Haq Nawaz, 30, Siddiq, 55 years, Arsalan Tariq 35, Allah Ditta, 25, Qamar Abbas, 28 and Shahabuddin, 26.
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah also took a notice of the incident and also ordered IGP Dr Syed Kaleem Imam to inquire about the incident. Additional IG Karachi Dr Amir Shaikh and other senior police officials also reached the blast site and inquired about the incident.
Senior police officials said that the second blast was planted to target the security officials and the crowd gathered at the spot following the first blast, adding there would be massive loss of life if the second bomb exploded.
Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf also condemned the terror activity and expressed their solidarity with the heirs of the victims.
Two killed
in Karachi bomb blast
