Over 5,000kg of fireworks stored at warehouse: BDS
Thick plumes of smoke billow through the air as a blazing inferno engulfs Al-Amna Plaza on MA Jinnah Road after fireworks warehouse explosion. Charred motorcycles, gutted shops, and shattered stairways tell the tale of devastation, leaving shopkeepers reeling from heavy losses. PHOTO: JALAL QURESHI/EXPRESS
The Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) has revealed that more than 5,000 kilograms of fireworks material was stored inside Al-Amna Plaza on MA Jinnah Road where a powerful explosion earlier ripped through the building.
According to police, nearly 500kg of fireworks went off in the initial blast, which was heard within a radius of seven kilometres.
The explosion caused massive damage to the ground-plus-two building and affected structures within a 100-metre radius.
In its report, the BDS stated that two warehouses packed with fireworks were found on the ground floor while two rooms on the rooftop also contained similar material.
Moreover, two containers filled with fireworks were recovered from an adjacent ground.
Officials warned that the remaining stock was highly dangerous and must be shifted to a safe location without delay.
Investigations further revealed that raw materials were being brought to the site while fireworks were manufactured at a vacant plot located at the rear of the building.
Additional consignments, police added, were being sourced from Balochistan, Lahore, and even imported from China.