KARACHI: Two men passing through the Gulberg area in their car were wounded in an explosion on Wednesday evening, police said.

Some type of explosive was present in the car though it was yet to be determined if the car occupants knew about it or someone else had planted it, said a senior police officer.

The car was close to a private health facility, Rahim Hospital, on Shah Jehan Avenue, located between the Water Pump traffic intersection and Gulberg Chowrangi, when the blast blew off its roof and left the two men identified as Salman Baloch and his friend Rizwan Baloch wounded, the police said.They were rushed to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, where Rizwan was being operated upon.

“Salman has lost his hearing in the explosion. Currently he is in a state of shock and unable to speak, while Rizwan is said to be in serious condition,” said SP Liaquatabad Syed Salman Hasan who was at the hospital.

“Some type of explosive were present inside the car when it went off, wounding both occupants of the car,” said DIG West Naeem Akram Baroka.

“The attack was not carried out from outside,” he added.

The officer said that the car was being driven by its owner, Salman Baloch, when the explosion took place in front of a private hospital. “It remains to be determined if they were knowingly carrying the explosive or someone had planted it in their vehicle,” said DIG Baroka.

The police said that Rizwan was believed to an arms dealer.

Following the incident, there were rumours that one of the wounded men, Salman Baloch, was a PPP worker, but the district leadership of the party distanced themselves from the two men.