KARACHI: A loud explosion on Wednesday morning caused collapse of a portion of building in Gulshan Iqbal leaving at least five persons dead and 20 injured, ARY News reported.
The Police and Rangers personnel reached to the area and inquiring into the nature of the blast.
The incident took place in a building near Abul Hassan Asfahani road Gulshan Iqbal, leaving a portion of the four-storey building collapse.
Loud blast rocked the area in the morning and impact of the explosion shattered windowpanes of the nearby buildings, according to witnesses.
A spokesman of Rangers stated that the area has been sealed and the bomb disposal squad has been called to inquire into the nature of the explosion.
Chief Minister of Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah has taken notice of the Maskan Chowrangi blast and summoned a detailed report of the incident from the Commissioner Karachi.
Governor of Sindh Imran Ismail has expressed his sympathies over the loss of lives in the incident and called a report from the I.G. Police of Sindh.
Two floors and two shops in a portion of the building have demolished and relief teams were trying to retrieve injured and bodies from the debris.
Among 20 injured seven to eight said to be in a precarious condition. A traffic police official, who was on duty at the road, also said to be seriously injured in the explosion.
According to reports, 15 injured of the incident and three bodies have been shifted to a nearby private hospital, while three injured to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital and one to the Jinnah Hospital.
The explosion also damaged three cars and six motorbikes.
A team of five engineers of the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) has reached to the spot and declared a portion of the apartments’ building as dangerous.
The blast has thoroughly damaged foundations of a part of the building, SBCA engineers said. “A portion of the premises could collapse at anytime,” the team warned.
The SBCA team will thoroughly inspect the premises and will prepare a report on the condition of the building.
