Five killed in ‘gas leak’ blast

KARACHI:

At least five people were killed and 29 others injured in a blast - reportedly caused by a gas leak - which ripped through a four-storey residential building near Maskan Chowrangi in Gulshan-e-Iqbal on Wednesday morning.

The wounded were initially taken to a private hospital in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, where two succumbed to their injuries. Some of the injured were later referred to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, where three others died. Three of the injured were also shifted to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre.

The deceased include Muhammad Amir, 28, Yasir, 18, Syed Khalid, security guard Mohib Khan and bank employee Nek Alam.

The condition of several injured is critical.

According to law enforcement officials, all the injured were shifted to the hospital within an hour of the blast.

The nightmare

Rocking Allah Noor Apartments, the explosion resulted in the complete destruction of the first and second floor, as well as the ground floor that housed a private bank's office.

According to eyewitnesses and area residents, the blast, occurring around 9.15am, shattered the building's concrete pillars and iron sheets, with debris spreading far and wide. Broken glass from nearby buildings carpeted the main road, while vehicles outside it were badly damaged and a massive cloud of smoke and dust engulfed the site.

Meanwhile, some vehicles travelling on Abul Hasan Ispahani Road, Gulshan-e-Iqbal Road and near Maskan Chowrangi collided with each other due to the blast's impact.

Salesman Abdullah, 17, who witnessed the incident, told to The Express Tribune, "I was in the shop when I felt a cloud of dust rising. It was a massive explosion and at first I thought it was an earthquake."

He said soon after the blast, people rushed to the site to help those trapped in the rubble and lying injured on the road.

Imran, a shopkeeper who lives nearby, recounted a similar experience. "I was shaken awake by the explosion," he said, still reeling from the shock. "At first, it felt like an earthquake but I quickly realised it was a blast." Pointing to the broken concrete pillars, he said many passerbys were hit by the debris, as well as signboards, iron rods and other structures.

A security guard at the destroyed bank said he felt the ground shaking due to the blast's intensity and, flustered, he dropped his weapon. "There was smoke and cries and I saw people running to save their lives."

Trying to keep people away from the site, a police official said law enforcers had reached the spot within minutes of the blast. "There were injured people on the road, inside the bank and in its surroundings. I even saw a body on the first floor."

Rescue efforts

The Rangers, police, fire department officials and rescue workers started rescue work with the help of heavy machinery.

Waqar Ahmed, an area resident, said rescue workers arrived 20 minutes after the explosion. "By then, people had started rescuing the injured and transporting them to the hospital on their own."

The officials declared the affected building dangerous after the blast and evacuated it.

Later, K-Electric and Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) teams suspended electricity and gas connections in the locality.

According to Karachi commissioner Dr Sohail Rajput, the building will being demolished.

A disputed cause

According to Ahmed, "Initially, we all thought it [the explosion] was a bomb blast." This also included law enforcers, deceived by its intensity.

Later, a bomb disposal squad concluded the blast occurred due to a natural gas leak, adding that they couldn't find any traces of explosive material. The squad ruled out the possibility of terrorist activity.

According to Imran, though, some residents have reservations over law enforcers dubbing it a gas explosion.

Others claimed that they had, in fact, apprised the SSGC of the gas leak multiple times, but to no avail. Yet others added that residents and those running businesses in the area could smell the gas but paid no heed to the impending danger.

However, a SSGC spokesperson held residents and shop-owners responsible for the gas leak, attributing it to house lines in the apartments and claiming the SSGC was not responsible.

He said that according to Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority laws, customers were responsible for the upkeep and repair of house lines. He further denied any complaint of a gas leak being lodged on the SSGC helpline from the building.

Sindh IGP Mushtaq Mahar has sought a report on the incident from the East SSP.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 22^nd, 2020.