Anti-encroachment operation launched after Sher Shah blast

KARACHI: Two days after a blast in a building illegally built on a storm water drain in Sher Shah killed at least 17 people and injured around a dozen others, the district administration launched Monday an operation to raze all such illegal structures in the area.

The Kiamari deputy commissioner said all the shops built on the drain are being pulled down. The two-storey building damaged by the explosion will not be knocked down for the time being as police investigating the blast are collecting evidence from the site.

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He said the SSP investigation asked the administration not to demolish the building as the investigators are collecting samples from the blast site. The building will be demolished once clearance is received from the police, he added.

The deputy commissioner said all illegal structures built on the Sher Shah drain will be demolished with their allotment already cancelled. He pointed out that an eviction notice has been issued to all the occupants.

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Though the investigators have not yet determined the actual cause of the blast, it is suspected to have occurred due to the accumulation of gas.