KARACHI: A gas explosion ripped through an apartment building in Pakistan’s largest port city of Karachi on Thursday, killing at least 13 people, including women and children, and injuring several others after part of the structure collapsed, police and rescue officials said.
The explosion happened in a residential area of Karachi, the capital of Sindh province, local police chief Rizwan Patel said.
Rescuers were still removing rubble to search for any survivors trapped under the debris, he added.
Patel provided no further details but said the search-and-rescue operation was ongoing.
Most houses and apartment buildings in Karachi, like elsewhere in Pakistan, are supplied with natural gas for cooking. However, many households also rely on liquefied petroleum gas cylinders because of low natural gas pressure.
In July, a gas explosion following a wedding reception at a home in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, killed eight people, including the bride and groom.
The blast occurred as guests had gathered to celebrate the couple, authorities said.
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Gas blast kills 13 as building collapses in southern Pakistan
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Gas blast kills 13 as building collapses in southern Pakistan
- Rescuers were still removing rubble to search for any survivors trapped under the debris
Explosions rock Ukrainian capital ahead of planned talks in Geneva
KYIV: Several explosions shook central Kyiv early Thursday, AFP journalists heard, after officials warned of air raids in the Ukrainian capital ahead of planned talks in Geneva with US representatives on ending the Russian war.
Washington is pushing to bring an end to the war triggered by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine four years ago, which has left hundreds of thousands dead and destroyed swathes of territory, particularly in eastern and southern Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported high-speed targets heading toward Kyiv shortly before Tymur Tkachenko, head of the capital’s military administration, said Russia was attacking the city with strike drones and ballistic missiles.
“Air defense is operating. Stay in shelters until the alert is cleared!” he said on Telegram.
The attacks were not limited to the capital.
In the northeast, Kharkiv mayor Igor Terekhov said two blasts were heard in the city as Russian Shahed drones targeted the area, warning residents to stay in shelters with “drones and missiles flying toward the city.”
Terekhov later reported a “combined air attack” with impacts in the Shevchenkivsky and Kyivsky districts.
In the southeast, Zaporizhzhia regional chief Ivan Fedorov said the city had come under attack, reporting several explosions and at least one person wounded.
In Kryvyi Rig, Oleksandr Ganzha, head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional administration, said a Russian strike wounded an 89-year-old man and sparked a fire that damaged a high-rise building.
Ukraine has faced repeated overnight barrages in recent months as Russia targets cities with missiles and drones amid harsh winter conditions.
Washington is pushing to bring an end to the war triggered by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine four years ago, which has left hundreds of thousands dead and destroyed swathes of territory, particularly in eastern and southern Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported high-speed targets heading toward Kyiv shortly before Tymur Tkachenko, head of the capital’s military administration, said Russia was attacking the city with strike drones and ballistic missiles.
“Air defense is operating. Stay in shelters until the alert is cleared!” he said on Telegram.
The attacks were not limited to the capital.
In the northeast, Kharkiv mayor Igor Terekhov said two blasts were heard in the city as Russian Shahed drones targeted the area, warning residents to stay in shelters with “drones and missiles flying toward the city.”
Terekhov later reported a “combined air attack” with impacts in the Shevchenkivsky and Kyivsky districts.
In the southeast, Zaporizhzhia regional chief Ivan Fedorov said the city had come under attack, reporting several explosions and at least one person wounded.
In Kryvyi Rig, Oleksandr Ganzha, head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional administration, said a Russian strike wounded an 89-year-old man and sparked a fire that damaged a high-rise building.
Ukraine has faced repeated overnight barrages in recent months as Russia targets cities with missiles and drones amid harsh winter conditions.
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