KARACHI: Three people were injured and a roadside auto-mechanic shop was badly damaged in a huge explosion caused by gases accumulated in a nullah along the service lane in Mahmoodabad on Friday, officials and witnesses said.

The incident came as a grim reminder of the killing of 18 people in a similar blast in the Shershah area.

“The blast occurred in a sewerage line at Parsi Gate due to accumulation of gases,” said Inspector Ejaz Pathan, the SHO of the Mahmoodabad police station.

“A motorcycle mechanic shop situated on the sewerage line also collapsed. Three people suffered minor injuries and they were shifted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for treatment. A bomb disposal team was also summoned and an investigation was under way,” he said.

A health official said the injured were identified as Muhammad Bilal, 17, Dilawar, 20, and John, 11. All of them worked at the mechanic’s shop.

The injured, he said, suffered wounds due to fall of concrete structure with the force of the explosion. “They were released from hospital after initial treatment,” he added.

Published in Dawn, December 25th, 2021