One dead, eight injured in Pindi explosion

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

A police spokesman stated that the blast took place in a Qingqi rickshaw which was parked at the bus stand. 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 the 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.

The spokesman said that a heavy contingent of police cordoned off the area while the 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.