New Delhi:At least 16 people were killed inPakistan’s Karachi on Thursday after a gas explosion rocked an apartment building. The deceased included women and children, as several were trapped under the debris, police informed. Theexplosionoccurred before the pre-dawn meal on the first day of the holy month of Ramadan, local police chief Rizwan Patel said. Initially, the death count was 13, but it rose after 3 more bodies were recovered from the debris. The cause of the gas explosion is yet to be ascertained.
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari expressed his sorrow and grief over the incident and ensured the best possible treatment for the injured. Zardari also called for Sindh province authorities to enforce building codes, conduct proper gas cylinder checks, and conduct a thorough inquiry to help prevent similar incidents.
Visuals surfaced on social media showing massive rescue operations in Karachi city as authorities rushed to evacuate those trapped under the debris. Footage surfaced on the internet showing ambulances rushing down the streets to take the injured to hospitals in a desperate attempt to save as many lives as possible.
In Karachi, most houses and apartments have access to natural gas for cooking, however, at many places, people rely on liquefied petroleum gas cylinders, which are risky and may explode if connections are loose.
Last year in July, at least 8 people were killed after a gas cylinder explosion at a wedding venue in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad. Unfortunately, the bride and the groom were among the deceased.
Earlier on Thursday, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry summoned a senior Afghan diplomat and lodged a strong protest over a deadly suicide attack earlier this week that killed 11 Pakistani soldiers and a girl near the Afghan border.
The ministry said in a statement the Afghan deputy head of mission in Islamabad was called and handed a formal diplomatic protest following Monday's attack in the northwestern Bajaur district, which it said was carried out by insurgents based in Afghanistan.
“Pakistan reserves the right to respond and eliminate those who were behind the attack wherever they may be located, to protect its soldiers, civilians and borders,” it said. There was no immediate comment from Afghanistan.
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