Six killed, 50 injured in mysterious Karachi bus explosion

At least six people were killed and 50 others sustained injuries when a passenger bus en route to Sargodha exploded outside the Cantonment Railway Station on Saturday.
The inter-city bus bearing registration number ND-2888 was carrying over 50 passengers to up country when it exploded.
The ill-fated bus erupted in a fireball after the explosion. Investigation agencies have failed to conclude whether it was a CNG cylinder or air condition compressor blast or if explosives were used to blow the bus up.
The explosion was massive and heard miles away from the scene of the incident. Electric poles installed in the surroundings were felled, while windowpanes and billboards on and around the buildings close to the railway station were also smashed to pieces. The explosion triggered a stampede inside the railway station’s premises and passengers waiting for the Karakoram Express and Millat Express left the platforms in fear.
A fire broke out in the bus following the blast that resulted in severe burn injuries to several passengers. The intensity of the explosion tore the vehicle’s roof apart and forced it upside down ahead of the bus.
The fire-fighting squad rushed to the spot to extinguish the fire that engulfed the entire bus within minutes. The Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) and forensic experts also reached the area to gather evidence. Law enforcement agencies launched a search operation in the hotels located around the railway station with help of sniffing dogs. The police also searched the luggage of passengers and later declared the hotels clear. All link roads to the railway station were blocked for all type of vehicular traffic by investigation teams and were reopened after the completion of rescue and search operations.
There remains confusion over the number of people killed and injured in the blast. Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) Director Seemin Jamali said five dead bodies were brought to hospital and over 50 injured people were under treatment. She said four dead bodies were identified as Fazalur Rehman, Muhammad Nadeem, Muhammad Shafique, and Panya. The JPMC also published a list of over 50 injured persons.
The Sindh minister for health visited the JPMC to enquire after the injured and announced that 18 people were injured in the explosion.
He said nine of the injured were admitted to the surgical ward, two to Surgical ICU and seven were admitted to Neurospinal ward. A minor child, said to a resident of Cantt Railway Station and injured in blast, was brought to National Institute of Child Health (NICH), but succumbed to his wounds sometime later. Frere area Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Aleem Buloo said six people, including a child, were killed and 18 others had been injured.
The explosion took place at 3:01pm in the bus carrying over 50 passengers, adding that the reasons for the explosion could not be ascertained as yet. Some investigation officials declared the blast a result of explosion in CNG cylinders or air condition compressor, however, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Special Investigation Group (SIG) and Special Investigation Unit (SIU) Chief Raja Umar Khitab were of the view that explosives were used in the incident. A Criminal Investigation Department (CID) team said the explosion was caused by CNG cylinders on the bus, as the team had not found nut, bolts or ball bearings usually used in improvised explosive devices. However, the FIA SIG team said there were 16 types of explosive materials that were usually used in carrying out blast across the country in the past fes years. “The smell of explosive materials could be sensed easily from the spot and if nut, bolts and ball bearings were not used in the explosion, it did not mean that a CNG cylinder or air condition compressor of bus exploded,” a team member told Pakistan Today. The explosion took place near the Red Zone of Karachi, which sent alarm bells ringing across the port city. The security of Red Zone was immediately beefed up to secure Headquarter Karachi Commander, Headquarter Commander Logistics and Naval Headquarters, all of which are located nearby. Naval Provost Headquarter, Naval Officers Residential Estate, Naval Police Headquarters and Pakistan Navy Roshan Khan Jahangir Complex, which are a few miles way from blast site, were also provided extra security. The security of Sindh Governor House, Sindh Chief Minister House, Sindh Assembly and all provincial government offices are also located in Red Zone, besides three five star hotels.