Observer Report Karachi
At least 10 people died while several others were injured after an explosion inside a truck in Baldia Town’s Mawach Goth area in Karachi on Saturday, according to police and rescue officials.
Keamari SSP Fida Husain Janwari said that a cylinder explosion took place inside a “mini truck”. He added that the driver of the vehicle had picked up a family, including women, from Pareeshan Chowk in Baldia.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Edhi Foundation said that the explosion had occurred at a petrol pump near Mawach Goth. He said that officials had shifted seven bodies to Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital.
Another official from Chippa said that they had taken three more bodies from the spot, bringing the total death toll to 10. Both rescue officials said that at least 10 others were also injured in the incident.
Karachi Administrator Murtaza Wahab took notice of the incident and sought details from the Keamari SSP. In a statement, he said that investigators were probing the incident from different angles.
Expressing regret over the loss of human lives, the administrator directed officials to provide the best possible medical treatment to those who were injured.
Meanwhile, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah directed police officials and the district administration to shift the injured to nearby hospitals.
The chief minister also sought a report from the provincial transport minister about the vehicle, enquiring whether the truck belonged to Sindh or some other province.
He also directed the transport minister to provide details about the vehicle’s fitness certificate and the cause of the explosion.