11 killed by explosion in Karachi, Pakistan

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) - At least 11 people were killed in Pakistan while over a dozen were injured in an explosion that shook the southern port city of Karachi on Saturday, police and health officials said.

The explosion occurred outside a building in an industrial district of the city, which serves as the country's commercial capital, causing the roof and walls to collapse.

Sabir Memon, an official at the Civil Hospital in Karachi told reporters that nine bodies were brought to the hospital, whereas another two succumbed to their injuries during treatment.

All 13 people being treated for injuries are in critical condition, he added.

According to the initial investigations, the police said, the blast is believed to be the result of leakage in a nearby gas pipeline. Further investigations to ascertain the cause are underway, the police added.

Footage aired on local broadcaster Geo TV showed rescuers scrambling amid the rubble to pull out bodies and injured, taking them to nearby ambulances.

Rescuers fear that more of the bodies or injured may be trapped under the rubble.