At least 47 persons, including women and children, were killed after terrorists detonated highly explosive material stuffed in a vehicle near an Imambargah in Abbas Town here on Sunday night. As many as 150 persons were reported injured, several of them in critical condition, in the powerful explosion.
-- 47 killed, 150 hurt in car blast in Abbas Town
-- 200 apartments, 150 shops badly damaged
Police said that the explosives were stuffed inside a vehicle and was detonated at the entrance of Abbas Town, badly damaging the front of two buildings, one on each side of the road. The intense blast wreaked havoc in an 800-metre radius. Many blast victims were still trapped under the rubble, as rescue efforts continued till the filing of this report. The blast created a three- or four-foot-deep and 10-foot-wide crater in the ground. The deceased and injured were shifted to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Patel Hospital and other private hospitals.
This is the second blast that occurred in the same locality in a four-month-long span. A blast took place in November last year near the same Imambargah in Abbas Town in which two people were killed and over a dozen men, two Rangers' personnel among them, were also injured.
Eyewitnesses told Business Recorder that the blast occurred as soon as people started coming out of the Imambargah after offering Maghrib prayers, adding that the blast mainly targeted them.
"As many as 45 people have killed while over 150 injured in this deadly blast," said Commissioner Karachi Syed Hashim Raza Zaidi. He said that rescuers were trying to locate and evacuate people trapped under the debris of the destroyed buildings. The apartments on the front sides of two buildings - Rabia Flower and Iqra City - were damaged. Technical experts said that both buildings were near collapse. However, rescue workers managed to evacuate residents surviving the blast.
According to a private TV channel, almost 200 apartments and 150 shops were badly damaged. A fire erupted in a number of flats soon after the blast, and a pole-mounted transformer also caught fire which led to an electricity breakdown in the area. Eyewitness said that rescue workers were still unable to locate a number of people still trapped under the debris. They said that the resulting fire and the delay in arrival of fire tenders hindered the rescue operation.
Mourners blocked entry of the personnel of law-enforcement agencies to a point at least half a kilometre away from the site of the blast that occurred in a densely populated area. Rescue efforts were also impeded by spectators who thronged the spot to witness the devastation first hand. An angry mob resorted to heavy firing in the air, which also deterred security officials. According to an official of the Bomb Disposal Squad, a Subaru vehicle, carrying at least 150 kilogrammes of highly explosive material was detonated in front of Iqra City apartments. The blast wrecked havoc, completely destroying scores of apartments and dozens of shops, besides damaging a number of vehicles parked in the area. Branches of two private banks were among damaged establishments.
"An improvised explosive device (IED) was used in the blast, carrying nut, bolts and ball-bearings. The explosives were detonated using a timer mechanism," SP CID Investigation Mazhar Mashwani told Business Recorder.
He said that the blast occurred in a green-coloured vehicle, which was carrying between 150 and 160 kilograms of explosives. However, Mashwani said that such blast had never occurred in the city.
Rescuers said that they had shifted at least 21 bodies to JPMC, 10 to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, one to Civil Hospital Karachi, three to Liaquat National Hospital, nine to Patel Hospital and three of the bodies were shifted to Aga Khan Hospital.
Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah announced a compensation of Rs1.5 million each for families of blast victims. The chief minister also announced that all educational institutions would remain closed in Karachi in addition to a mourning period in the province.
Private schools in the city will also remain closed on Monday while traders and transporters also announced to keep their operations shut.
Political parties, including Jamaat-i-Islami, MQM, PML-N, PTI, PML-F and others have condemned the blast and called for immediate arrest of elements involved in perpetrating the crime.