The port city of Karachi succumbed to horrific tragedy today, as a massive explosion ripped through a large building in the Shershah area, leaving at least 16 people dead and at least one dozen others critically injured. Initial investigations at the neighborhood level have indicated a buildup of gas in a sewer line under a private bank branch triggered the devastating explosion.
The result: Buildings turned to rubble
The explosion unfolded Thursday afternoon, at the peak of business hours. The explosive blast had power and destruction on a level that completely leveled the building, which housed a private bank, and destroyed nearby shops and parked vehicles. Witnesses said the chaos became a cacophony, with the ground quaking and thick cloud of dust and debris enveloping the area. “The floor of the bank literally lifted into the air,” said one survivor.
Debris was hurled hundreds of yards away, injuring pedestrians and passing motorists. Emergency Response and Rescue. Within minutes emergency services and local police arrived in Shershah. Rescue teams, driven by heavy equipment and excavators, dug through the concrete slabs for hours to find survivors buried under the rubble.
- Casualties: Health officials announced 16 fatalities at the Civil Hospital Karachi.
- Injuries: At least 30 people are being treated for a range of injuries, many of them said to be in critical condition from severe burns and impact trauma.
- The Victims: The majority of the victims involved were bank employees and customers who had been inside the building when the accident occurred.
- Search: The Hazardousness of Sewer Gas. Though initial rumors said that sabotage had taken place, the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) and the Sindh Police largely ruled terrorism out. It’s now an investigation pointing to a gas build-up methane gas, apparently in a storm-water drain that runs right underneath the building.
Unauthorized building over drainage lines is a chronic problem in Karachi’s densely populated industrial districts. When these drains are blocked or poorly ventilated, toxic and flammable gases such as methane get released and stack up, allowing only the small spark of an electrical short, or the ignition of a generator, to send them into extreme detonation.
Authorities Awaiting a Safety Audit
Sindh's chief minister has since announced grave sorrow for the loss of life and called for an extensive investigation into the incident. The local administration has been ordered to list other buildings built over sewer lines in the event of such a disaster. This tragedy underscores the dilapidated urban infrastructure in Pakistan’s biggest city and the need for rigorous enforcement of building codes and ongoing maintenance of the metropolitan drainage system.
