Death toll from Maskan Chowrangi blast rises to six

Cause of explosion remains uncertain with investigation indicating a gas leak blast, SSGC denying the finding

KARACHI:

Another person injured in the blast near Maskan Chowrangi on Wednesday morning succumbed to his injuries at Patel Hospital on Friday, raising the explosion death toll to six.

The deceased, identified as Ilyas, 19, was a resident of Gulshan-e-Maymar.

Initially, four deaths and thirty injured were reported in the incident but the death toll rose to five when one of the injured breathed his last on Wednesday night and later to six, with another person succumbing to injuries on Friday.

The explosion, reportedly caused by a gas leak, had ripped through a residential building in Gulshan-e-Iqbal.

Ambiguity persists

After a bomb disposal squad attributed on Wednesday the blast to a gas leak, questions were raised on the accuracy of the conclusion. Doubting the finding, many questioned how a gas leak blast could be as intense as the one that rocked the residential building and cause extensive damage.

Following this, relevant department's team, including those of the police and counter terrorism department, continue to inspect the site of the blast.

As per sources privy to the development, who requested anonymity, initial investigation confirms that the explosion was a consequence of a gas leak.

The sources said the investigation teams carefully inspected all parts of the affected building and deduced that the only probable cause of the blast was a gas leak.

Besides, they added, the victims had sustained only burn injuries and those caused by the falling debris, while no traces of any explosive material, including ball bearings, were found at the site.

On the other hand, the Sui Southern Gas Company that had earlier stated that the blast was a result of a gas leak in a house pipeline, maintaining and repairing which was the responsibility of the property's owner, categorically denied on Friday that the explosion occurred due to a gas leak.

In a statement issued on the day, it argued, "The reason for the blast was wrongfully attributed to the leakage of natural gas. However, there is ample evidence to suggest that this was not the case."

Elaborating on the "evidence", the statement read, "As an established protocol, [the] SSGC's emergency teams rushed to the blast site and as a safety measure, instantly switched off the gas supply to the building." It added that the SSGC's teams found out that no damage was caused to any service line, valve and gas meter at the site of the blast.

"All gas pipelines and all domestic gas meters, along with three commercial meters installed at the blast site, remained unharmed," the statement said, adding that of late, neither the SSGC's 1199 helpline nor the company's social media pages received any gas [leak]-related complaint from the residents of the said apartments.

According to the statement, the CCTV footage of the incident clearly shows a powerful explosion that has no trappings of blasts usually associated with gas leaks.

"In fact, if it was the case of a leak, there would have been a massive fire following the blast. However, all one saw was crumbling debris and shreds of glass and no blackened and burnt out infrastructure," it read.

Meanwhile, the statements of persons injured in the blast have been recorded as part of the investigation.