One dead, 8 injured in Pirwadhai blast

Rawalpindi : At least one person died and eight others sustained wounds after a blast in a parked auto rickshaw at Pirwadhai Bus Stand on Friday.

A police spokesman informed that a blast took place in a Qingqi rickshaw which was parked at the bus stand, resultantly the windows and mirrors of multiple shops nearby shattered following the explosion.

Soon after the incident rescue officials rushed to the spot and shifted the injured identified as Bilal 26, Qasim 18, Abdur Rehman 77, Zafeer 19, Alaudin 28, Ibrahim 19, Abdul Manan 25, Ishaq Rehman 35 to Holy Family Hospital (HFH) for emergency treatment while the dead body of Muhammad Afzal Khan 45 was shifted to Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH) for legal formalities.

Spokesman said that a heavy contingent of police have cordon off the area while bomb disposal squad and other concerned law enforcement agencies were on the scene and commenced a thorough investigation into the incident.

The nature of the blast is still being determined, he said, however the possibility of terrorism could not be ruled out as yet, he added.