KARACHI: At least two people were killed and 11 others, including a foreign national, were said to be injured when a massive explosion took place on a road outside the Karachi airport, on Sunday night.

Conflicting accounts emerged in the wake of the powerful explosion, which was heard across town — as far away as Clifton — with officials oscillating between calling it an “IED blast” and an explosion triggered after a vehicle collided with an oil tanker.

A heavy contingent of police and Rangers rushed to the scene and shifted the injured to a nearby hospital.

Footage of the scene of the explosion showed several vehicles engulfed in flames. Official said the Bomb Disposal Squad was working to ascertain the nature of the blast.

Officials say too early to tell if it was an ‘IED blast’ or ‘tanker explosion’

Briefing reporters at the scene, Deputy Inspector General (East) Capt (retd) Azfar Mahesar confirmed that two people were killed in the explosion, which also destroyed seven vehicles.

He said it would take time to ascertain the exact nature of the explosion, adding that until forensic reports were in, nothing concrete could be said about whether it was an act of terror, or an accident.

The outlawed Majeed Brigade of the Baloch Liberation Army released a statement claiming responsibility for the attack, but this could not be independently verified.

Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed told Dawn that at least nine injured persons, including a policeman and a woman, were brought to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre. Two of the injured were also shifted to a private hospital in Clifton, police sources said.

The injured were identified as police constable Waqar Ahmed, 28, Mohammed Ilyas, 35, Mohammed Naeem, 51, Ranu Khan, 35, Azeem Meer, 45, Mrs Tasleem Noor, 48, Ali Rafiq, 29, Hamza Ateeq, 28, and Sabeeh Mohiuddin, 30.

Following the explosion, the Airports Security Force sealed the exit and entry points of the airport and cordoned off the area.

A traffic police spokesman said that the road leading to the airport from the Model Colony graveyard had been closed for vehicular traffic after the blast.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah also took notice of the incident and directed the police to ensure safety of citizens. According to APP, the CM telephoned the Sindh home minister and IGP and sought a report on the incident. He also said that the roads leading to and from the airport be cleared so that no passenger faces any inconvenience.

A Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) statement issued after the incident said that all its assets were safe and flights were operating as scheduled.

Speaking to reporters on the scene, Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori said that an investigation was still underway and speculation should be avoided.

Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hasan Lanjar, who also visited the spot, told the media they had information the explosion was caused by an IED blast. The minister said that a convoy of foreign nationals was passing by the area when the explosion took place.

Published in Dawn, October 7th, 2024