On Sunday, at least three people were killed and several others were injured after a massive explosion occurred near Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport in Pakistan. According to the media reports, the blast killed two workers from China and injured at least eight, officials from both countries said. Police and the provincial government said a tanker exploded outside the airport, which is Pakistan’s biggest.
According to the media reports, the explosion occurred in an oil tanker close to the airport and at least 10 vehicles parked nearby caught fire as a result of the explosion. ‘Four injured persons, including one in critical condition, have been brought to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical College (JPMC)’, said local media quoted police surgeon Summaiya Syed as saying.
#WATCH | At least three foreign nationals died while 17 others sustained injuries in a huge explosion near Jinnah International Airport, Karachi, reports Pakistan's Geo News.
(Video: Reuters) pic.twitter.com/qrJdStV9F7
— ANI (@ANI) October 7, 2024
Videos showed flames engulfing cars and a thick column of smoke rising from the scene. There was a heavy military deployment at the site, which was cordoned off. According to the media reports, ‘A large explosion ripped through an oil tanker near Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport on Sunday, spreading thick clouds of smoke across the area’. Police, Rangers, and rescue teams quickly arrived at the scene to secure the area and assist those affected. Presently, firefighters are battling the blaze, working to extinguish flames that engulfed nearby vehicles. The cause of the explosion remains under investigation.
Deputy Inspector General East Azfar Mahesar said, ‘According to initial information, an oil tanker caught fire which spread to several other vehicles causing collateral damage. We are determining if there was an element of terrorism involved which we cannot rule out at the moment’. Meanwhile, the Chinese Embassy issued a statement saying that a convoy carrying Chinese staff of the Port Qasim Electric Power Company (Private) Limited had been attacked around 11 pm, killing two Chinese and injuring one other.
It said there were Pakistani casualties as well. The provincial home minister, Zia Ul Hassan, told local TV station Geo that the explosion was an attack targeting foreigners.
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