SUKKUR - At least five people including three security personnel were martyred and eight others injured in an explosion that took place when security officials were engaged in defusing explosives at a cement factory in Sukkur on Tuesday.

The blast resulted in death of five people including two cops, a Rangers official and two labourers. Eleven people including six Rangers officials, manager of the factory and a labourer sustained injuries in the blast.

The incident took place in the cement factory in Rohri near Sukkur.

Seven injured were shifted to Karachi through air ambulance. Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, taking notice of the incident, has sought a report from Sindh IGP.

Explosive material (dynamite), kept in a room of the cement factory in Rohri near Sukkur, was meant for breaking hill’s rock to be used for manufacturing cement and was not in use due to non-functioning of the factory. It was being defused on Tuesday when it exploded due to which a Rangers official Allah Dino Magsi, two police personnel of Special Branch Saleem Raza Bhutto and Shahid Mughal and a labourer namely Majid Ali were martyred.

Eleven people including Engineer of cement factory Abdul Haq Buriro, computer operator Sameer Kazi, Inspector of Bomb Disposal Squad Muhammad Tahir Malik, journalist Lal Bux Kandhriro, personnel of law enforcement agencies Zahid Hussain, Qamar Saeed, Taj Muhammad, Azhar, employee of cement factory Shahzado, Ghulam Mustafa Memon were injured. The injured were shifted to civil hospital, private hospital Hira Medical Centre and Rangers Hospital Sukkur.

After the incident, police and Rangers personnel cordoned off the area and carried out search and shifted injured and dead bodies of those martyred to the hospitals.

According to SSP Sukkur Amjad Shaikh on the request of administration of cement factory Rohri, during defusing the explosive material the fire broke out after which incident of blast took place.

He further saod that more than 2000 kilogram explosive material was kept in the room of cement factory.

The funeral prayers of two martyred police personnel of bomb disposal squad Saleem Raza Bhutto and Shahid Mughal of special branch were offered at police headquarters Sukkur which was attended by DIG Sukkur Syed Feroze Shah, SSP Sukkur Amjad Shaikh and other police officers and large number of policemen.

The martyred have been laid to rest with complete police honours.