Five killed, 20 injured in Karachi's Maskan Chowrangi blast

KARACHI (92 News) - At least five people killed, 20 injured when a blast occurred in a multi-storey building at Gulshan-e-Iqbal’s Maskan Chowrangi on Wednesday.

According to the rescue, five people have been killed, 20 injured and seven people are in critical condition including two women in an explosion. The deceased have not been identified yet.

The explosion was reported on the mezzanine floor of the four-storey Allah Noor Apartments in Gulshan-e-Iqbal. The apartments are opposite the Karachi University gate. The ground and mezzanine floors both belong to Meezan Bank.

First and second storey of the building along with bank collapsed completely and the residents of upper storey has been evacuated safely.

Rescue, police and Rangers teams are at the scene. The area has been cordoned off and the bomb disposal squad is at the scene. The police believe, however, it was a gas or cylinder explosion but have summoned the BDS as a precautionary measure as the sound of the explosion was very loud.

There are fears that some people might be stuck beneath the rubble. The ground floor had a bank and businesses while residential apartments were located on top. Staff were already at the bank and rescue teams are working to pull people out from beneath the rubble.

The injured and deceased were initially taken to a private hospital nearby and then shifted to Jinnah hospital and Abbasi Shaheed Hospital. Some people were also injured when rubble from the building fell on them.

The windows of nearby apartments shattered due to the intensity of the branch.

CM Sindh takes notice of blast

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has taken notice of the explosion and summoned a detailed report from the Karachi commissioner. He also ordered the immediate provision of medical services to the injured and expressed his sorrow over the deaths.