KARACHI: At least 16 people, including four children and six women, were killed and 14 others injured in an explosion at a three-storey residential building in Soldier Bazaar No 3, rescue officials said on Thursday.
Rescue sources said the first-floor blast struck on Wednesday night, bringing down part of the structure, and that all available resources were deployed for the search operation.
DIG East Dr Farrukh Lanjar said initial information suggested the explosion was due to a gas leak. He said there were fears that one body was still buried in the rubble and that the rescue operation was ongoing.
Lanjar said the true nature of the explosion could only be determined after a chemical examination, adding that the incident would be investigated. He said the relevant department would determine whether the building was legal or illegal, and that action would be taken against those responsible once that determination was made.
Rescue teams launched a search operation and pulled several people from the rubble. A 10-year-old girl, identified as Nazia, and a 60-year-old man, Mohammad Riaz, were among those killed.
Rescue officials said the body of a 17-year-old girl was recovered from the rubble, while the body of a 19-year-old girl was also recovered from the debris. They later said the body of an 18-year-old woman was recovered from the rubble.
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The body of a woman was recovered, and rescuers later recovered the body of another woman, while the identification of another victim was under way.
Officials said a 14-year-old girl was rescued in an injured condition. Children were among the wounded, who were shifted to hospital.
Rescue officials said the search operation at the building had been completed and work to remove the debris had begun.
Police cordoned off the area and tightened security as search efforts continued.
