KARACHI, Dec 9: At least three personnel of Pakistan Rangers, Sindh, were killed and five others injured when an improvised explosive device exploded near their vehicle on the University Road on Friday morning.

The blast was the third one to take place in the city over the past five days.

The explosion took place close to the Safoora Chowrangi, near Rizwan Society, where an IED had been planted.

After completing its routine patrol each day, the Rangers vehicle used to be parked at the usual spot beneath two trees at 7am. On Friday morning, the vehicle was parked at the spot at around 7am, but a little further away from their usual place, said SP Raja Umar Khattab.

There was at least a distance of 15 to 20 feet between the vehicle and the IED, the SP said.

The blast took place at around 7:15am, targeting eight Rangers’ personnel.

The injured personnel were taken to the nearby CMH Malir, but three of them died there. The other five personnel were admitted to the hospital. The slain personnel were identified as Naek Muhammad Rashid, sepoys Muhammad Ibrahim and Ejaz Ahmed.

“The signature is the same not only in the three latest bombings, but also on the Navy buses which were also targeted in the same manner,” Mr Khattab told Dawn.

He said the IED weighed around 5 kg and was laced with nuts and bolts. The IED had been planted near a garbage dump perhaps as a camouflage, the SP added.

An FIA official who visited the crime scene told Dawn that the IED was “uni-directional” in nature — all pellets travelled in a single direction.