15 dead, 16 injured as explosion razes bank building in Karachi

KARACHI – At least 15 people were killed and 16 injured in an explosion at a bank in an industrial area in the provincial capital of Sindh on Saturday.

A senior police officer said the blast at a branch of Habib Bank Limited could have been caused by a gas leak. Sarfaraz Nawaz also told reporters that the building appeared to have been built over a drain.

"Our explosives teams are at work trying to ascertain the nature of the blast, but apparently the structure was constructed on a drain and gas could be a probable cause," he said.

In a statement on Twitter, Habib Bank said an explosion had damaged its branch and caused casualties and injuries. "Our sympathies are with the bereaved families," it added.

A petrol station next to the bank within the Sindh Industrial Trading Estate and cars parked nearby were badly damaged. Television footage showed the bank's floor ripped apart, exposing twisted iron bars.

Blast in #Karachi,several injured. pic.twitter.com/4SG1FRPRAI

— Khurram Iqbal (@khurram143) December 18, 2021

"So far 15 people have died and 16 injured were brought to the hospital," Karachi Administrator Murtaza Wahab said in a tweet.

Another senior police officer, Sharjeel Kharal, told reporters it was not immediately clear how many were dead or injured in the explosion as the bank had a skeleton staff on Saturday.

A bomb disposal squad reached to examine the site of the explosion and determine the nature of the blast.

Earlier, officials reached the incident place and cordoned off the area, Sindh Rangers said in a statement.

When a rescue operation was under way to remove the rubble, another explosion occurred at the same place. However, no casualty was reported in the second blast.