48 killed, over 200 injured in Karachi blast
At least 48 people were killed and 200 injured in blast near Abul Hassan Isfahani Road in Karachi.
KARACHI (Dunya News) According to eye witnesses, blast occurred in a residential plaza in Abbas Town near Abul Hassan Isfahani Road.
Police and rescue teams rushed to the area after the blast while the injured were shifted to different hospitals. Panic spread in Abbas Town which is a densely populated area.
Women and children were among the dead including brother-in-law and sister-in-law of Deputy Speaker Sindh Assembly Shehla Raza, and a three-year-old child.
Talking to Dunya News, Deputy Speaker Sindh Assembly Shehla Raza said that her relatives were residing in Abbas Town and still there was no information about some of them.
She said that the nation should unite to defeat terrorism. Shehla appealed to the people to remain calm.
According to Commissioner Karachi, 50 injured persons were in critical condition.
Police claimed that engine of the vehicle used in the blast was recovered and the accused were being traced with the help of number of the engine. They added that at least 150 kilogram explosives were used in the blast.
Electricity supply was suspended after the blast. 50 flats and 15 shops were gutted down as aresult of the blast.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf strongly condemned the blasts and expressed sympathies with heirs of the victims.
They said these cowardly acts cannot deter our determination to eliminate terrorism from the country.
President Asif Ali Zardari telephoned Chief Minister Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah and sought information regarding today s Karachi blasts.
He ordered for enhanced compensation to the affected families.
The governement has announced Rs 15 lakh for the dead and Rs 10 lakh for the ijured as compensation.
The Sindh government, MQM, PML-N and Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen called for a day of mourning on Monday while Jafria Alliance has announced wheel-Jam strike.
All markets and schools will remain closed on Monday. Public transport will also be suspended.
MQM chief Altaf Hussain and other political leaders have strongly condemned the attack. The demanded immediate action against the criminals.
