ISLAMABAD: The death toll from an explosion at a fireworks storage facility in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi has risen to four, the provincial rescue service said on Friday, with more than 30 others injured.
The blast occurred in the warehouse located within a building in the densely populated Saddar area of the metropolis on Friday evening, according to officials and members of the Sindh Rescue 1122 service.
Television footage showed thick smoke billowing into the sky from the building as broken glass from nearby shop windows littered the road, with panicked residents rushing from the scene.
One of the injured persons had died during treatment at a hospital, while rescue workers had recovered two bodies from the warehouse near Taj Complex on M.A. Jinnah Road on Thursday.
“Rescue 1122 has recovered another body [from the debris],” Hassaan Khan, a Rescue 1122 spokesperson, said in a statement. “The number of deaths from the accident have risen to 4.”
On Thursday, firefighters extinguished the blaze at the warehouse after several hours.
“Ten fire tenders and a snorkel unit were involved in extinguishing the blaze,” Khan said.
The cause of the explosion could not be immediately known, according to police. The warehouse was owned by two brothers, both of whom were injured in the incident.
“We have recorded an initial statement from one of the owners, both will be included in the investigation,” Deputy Inspector-General South Asad Raza said on Thursday.
The explosion also damaged several nearby vehicles.
Sindh Home Minister Zia-ul-Hassan Lanjar told reporters such warehouses are not allowed to exist in residential areas and assured that those responsible would face legal action, seeking a report from police.
“Police will thoroughly investigate how the blast occurred,” DIG Raza said. “Once the cause is determined, appropriate action will follow.”
Explosions at fireworks facilities are common in Pakistan due to a lack of safety protocols and lax enforcement of regulations.
In January this year, six people were killed in a similar blast at a fireworks storage site in Mandi Bahauddin, a city in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province.
