Two killed, eight injured in Karachi blast

KARACHI: At least two people were killed and eight others wounded in a bomb blast in Karachi’s Quaidabad area late on Friday night. The blast was so powerful, it could be heard miles away while it also shattered the widowpanes of nearby buildings. According to police, besides the exploded bomb, there was another device planted nearby. Fortunately, the bomb disposal squad’s experts defused another bomb intending to target the crowd and the police.

The blast occurred at a crowded place under the Quaidabad flyover where several vendors had set up their stallsand pushcarts located near the office of the deputy commissioner, Malir, at the main Quaidabad Chowk in the limits of the Shah Latif police station.

"Two locally made bombs concealed in separate lunch boxes were planted under the flyover of which one exploded with a loud bang,” said Malir City DSP Ali Hassan. “But fortunately, the second bomb was recovered and defused by experts.”

According to the sources at JPMC, two people were brought dead. Eight injured were also brought to hospital, some of whom were in critical condition. One of the deceased persons was identified as 16-year-old Pupu, son of Mushtaq, while the other was 18-year-old Ali Hassan, who was a fruit vendor. The injured 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. Deceased Ali Hassan was said to be a fruit vendor and was the lone brother of seven sisters. He was the resident of Shah Latif Town

Soon after the explosion, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah ordered IGP Sindh Kaleem Imam to investigate the incident. The Additional IG Karachi, Dr Amir Shaikh, and other senior police officers inspected the site of the blast and supervised collection of evidence.

Following initial investigations, the police officials believe the explosion to be the handiwork of a militant outfit. “Two improvised explosive devices were planted under the flyover,” said a senior CTD officer. “A second bomb that was recovered and defused was intended to target the security officials who would reach the site of the first blast.” No one had claimed the responsibility of the bomb blast till the filing of these lines. According to the initial findings of the Bomb Disposal Squad, the IEDs weighed around 500 grams and was concealed in lunch boxes.