The death toll in the powerful explosion, which occurred in a firecrackers factory in Karachi on Thursday, rose to five as on Friday as rescue personnel recovered another dead body from under the debris of Amna Building. Another 35 people including the owner of the factory were injured in the blast at the firecrackers godown. Rescue personnel shifted the dead to Trauma Center of Civil Hospital in Karachi.

The dead person was later identified as Shehzad Ali, aged 40. Later, the police filed a first information report (FIR) against the owners of the godown Mohammad Hanif and Mohammad Ayub, on behalf of the government. Police said that Mohammad Hanif is under treatment in the hospital, and Mohammad Ayub escaped from the scene.

On Thursday, a powerful blast ripped through the firecrackers warehouse on MA Jinnah Road, leading to a massive blaze and intermittent explosions in the area. The sheer intensity of the blast also damaged nearby vehicles and shattered windows of surrounding buildings, filling the area with heavy smoke drifting towards the Lines Area. The ground-plus-two building housed medical equipment shops in addition to the firecrackers warehouse.

Authorities said flammable items, including oxygen cylinders, were being urgently removed to avert a larger catastrophe. Police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed Tariq said that the number of injured persons reached 35. She added that 20 wounded persons were brought to Jinnah Hospital and 15 others were taken to Civil Hospital, while four of them were in critical condition.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)