Hand grenade attack in Karachi; death toll tops to 13
KARACHI (92 News) - In Karachi, at least 13 people were killed and eight others got injured including women and children in a hand grenade attack at a mini-truck near Mawach Mor area on Hub River Road in Baldia Town last night.
Additional Inspector General of Police (IGP) Karachi, Imran Yaqoob Minhas, while talking to the journalists said the victims belonged to Swat, area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, who were returning to their homes after attending a family gathering. The police have arrested the driver of mini-truck and launched further probe into incident.
Earlier a day, the victims were travelling in the back cargo bed of a Shehzore truck that was attacked by unidentified motorcyclists with a hand grenade, police officials said.
The attackers hurled the grenade into the cargo bed that had been crowded by around 25 women and children. Shrapnel hit most of them.
The grenade exploded in the air just inches before hitting the floor of the cargo bed, resulting in a higher number of causalities, Sindh Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) officer Raja Umar Khattab told journalists near the attack site.
The dead and the injured were rushed to Dr Ruth KM Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi’s Trauma Centre, where doctors performed emergency surgeries.
Trauma Centre CEO Dr Sabir Memon confirmed that eleven people had died. The deceased included five women, five children, and a man, he said.
Family feud ruled out
The victim family hails from the Swat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. They were returning to Sherpao Colony in Quaidabad, where they live, after attending a wedding in Faqeera Goth. The Hyundai Shehzore truck they hired for the journey was attacked on the Hub River Road in Mawach Morr.
The blast occurred at 9:45 pm within the jurisdiction of Madina Colony police station, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) South Javed Akbar Riaz said.
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah took notice of the explosion and directed the concerned authorities to present report. He directed the authorities to provide every possible assistance to the families of the deceased.
Murad Ali Shah directed the provincial transport minister to provide details about the vehicle s fitness certificate and the cause of the explosion.
On the other hand, Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed took notice of blast in Karachi and sought an immediate report of the incident from IG Sindh and DG Rangers.
The minister also expressed sorrow over the loss of precious lives in the incident.
Rashid also expressed sympathy with the family and said that all aspects of the incident should be investigated. He said federal agencies will provide full cooperation to the Sindh government.
