At least two people died and 33 were injured when there was a mass explosion inside a warehouse in a densely populated area near the Karachi Taj medical complex on Thursday afternoon, according to the police and hospital officials.
Police surgeon Dr. Sumaiya Syed said Dawn.com That 20 injured people were taken to the Jinnah postgraduate medical center, including two with critical wounds, while another 14 men were taken to the trauma center at the Karachi Civil Hospital, with two in critical condition.
“The condition of other injured people is being evaluated,” he said. Later in the day, he said that the police brought the body of a 16 -year -old who was found dead at the last level of the warehouse. A declaration of rescue 1122 also confirmed the recovery of the body.
In a later update, she said: “Unfortunately, a critical patient has expired.”
Rescue spokesman 1122, Hassaanul Haseb Khan Dawn.com That there was a three -story building near Taj’s medical complex in Saddar where families resided in the upper floors, while the installation was located in the basement.
“The raw material used for firecrackers was stored [in this facility]”Khan said.” During the initial probe, it was suspected that a short circuit caused a fire in the store and there was a great explosion due to the presence of highly flammable material. “
The spokesman added that the pillars and the walls of the building were damaged, while thick concrete blocks had fallen into nearby parcanos vehicles. The windows in nearby buildings were also crushed.
“Twelve fire tenders from the KMC Fire Brigade and Rescue-122 were dedicated to fire fighting,” he said. “Due to the presence of explosive material, the fire frequently revived. Firefighters faced difficulties since there was a dense smoke emanating from the basement.”
Khan said the fire had 60-70 percent under control and efforts were being made to control it.
However, the senior official of the Terrorism Department, Raja Uumer Khattab, told journalists in the scene that the installation contained explosive material, not raw material for fireworks.
“CTD had seized two tons of explosive material in this area in the recent past,” he said, and noted that the raw material in artificial fires could also be used in pumps.
“According to the relevant laws, up to 50 kilograms of firecracker material can be stored in a store with certain conditions and SOP (standard operational procedures) instead,” Khattab said.
“Facilities that store firecracker material must be kept away from gasoline pumps and residential areas. The deputy commissioner and other interested authorities can issue licenses in this regard.”
The CTD official said that firecrackers and fireworks were imported and manufactured in Pakistan. In Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, only license holders could manufacture firecrackers or import them.
Khattab said there was no “industry or factory to make firecrackers” in Sindh and estimated that more than 50 kg of material could have been stored in the basement of the building. Soció the presence of such amounts of explosive material in residential areas “something very dangerous”.
“People do not consider it dangerous since they only call firecrackers,” said the CTD official. “This store or Godown was illegally established in a residential area, which caused substantial damage to human life and property.”
A statement issued by the Karachi Traffic Police said that Ma Jinnah Road has been closed to traffic due to the fire, and the traffic came from Numaish deviated towards the signal of society and Ali Raza Imambargah.
The traffic police ordered citizens who called the traffic police aid line in 1915 for alternative route options “to avoid inconveniences.”
The Sindh Prime Minister Murad Ali Shah realized the incident and ordered the authorities to ensure that the fire is controlled and that lives are not lost.
According to a statement, the CM ordered the Karachi commissioner to provide immediate medical assistance to the injured and submit a detailed report to your office once the fire is controlled.
“There is no permission to produce materials near cities or populated areas that can cause damage,” said CM Murad.
Meanwhile, the Department of Interior of Sindh issued a statement today claiming that 20 people were injured in the fire, while Sindh Interior Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar directed the police reinforcements that went to the scene.
“Police reinforcements must be sent to rescue the injured and transfer them quickly to the nearest hospital,” Lanjar said. “An investigation must be completed and a report is presented soon.”
The Interior Minister also ordered that the authorities include statements of injured and evidence of the scene in his investigation.
“It should be verified immediately if the fireworks factory has a license or not,” Lanjar said.
Fire frequently explodes in buildings in Pakistan due to a combination of poor infrastructure, weak application of generalized safety and negligence regulations. Many structures lack adequate fire exits, alarms and emergency protocols, while defective and overloaded energy systems increase the risk of electrical short circuits.
Earlier this month, a massive fire in a factory in the Karachi export processing zone (KEPZ) near Landhi that injured eight people and damaged at least three other factories was controlled after hours of efforts.
In June, a fire broke out in the Millennium shopping center in Karachi, apparently due to an electric short circuit, and destroyed several hundred stores, causing substantial financial losses. It was controlled after the agitated efforts that lasted several hours.
