At least five people were confirmed dead on Friday after a fireworks warehouse on Karachi’s MA Jinnah Road caught fire on Thursday evening leaving 32 injured.
Two of the injured succumbed to their injuries during medical treatment while three more bodies were retrieved from the rubble. The remaing 30 are undergoing treatment. One person, however, might still be trapped under the debris, said Rescue 1122 officials.
South SSP Mahzar Ali, who visited the site on Thursday along with the Bomb Disposal Squad, told reporters that three more deceased had been pulled from the rubble and two critically injured victims had died during treatment at hospital. “This has brought the death toll to five,” he confirmed.
Read More: Blast at fireworks warehouse rocks MA Jinnah Road
Officials confirmed that the blast caused serious damage to the Government Girls Higher Secondary School nearby in Jacob Lines No 1. Two of the school’s buildings, the staff room and much of its furniture were destroyed. The outer boundary wall, ceiling fans, and cupboards in classrooms were also shattered and debris from the collapsed structures scattered throughout the premises.
“If the blast had occurred during school hours, it could have been a massive tragedy. Over 1,000 girls study here, with around 75 teachers and 10 support staff,” Principle Saima Naimat told Express News.
Investigations revealed that the warehouse and shops belonged to Hanif Patakha, son of Usman, and his brother Muhammad Ayub. They had allegedly stored excessive quantities of fireworks material in unsafe conditions, which caused the deadly explosion, resulting in loss of precious human lives and injuries to many others.
The SSP said that the warehouse owner, Muhammad Hanif, has been taken into police custody, while his brother and business partner, Muhammad Ayub, is on the run. A case has already been registered against both brothers. “Raids are being conducted and he will be arrested soon.”
An FIR has been registered on behalf of the state, said the police.
The deputy director of the Explosives Department revealed that no permission had been obtained from his office to store fireworks material at the site. “If the storage is under 50kg, the DC office issues an NOC. Anything beyond [that] requires authorisation from the Explosives Department. From what we have seen so far, it appears more than 50 kg of material was kept inside,” he added.
Chief Fire Officer Humayun Khan described the blast as so powerful that it damaged the building’s main pillars and shattered windows of nearby structures. “Fireworks are supposed to be stored far from populated areas, shops, and petrol pumps, yet this warehouse was located right next to a school building” he said.
Investigation is now focused on the licensing of the warehouse. “We are probing when the fireworks license was issued and how its renewal process worked,” said the SSP.
Rescue 1122 In-charge Muhammad Iftikhar Ahmed assured rescue operations would continue until they are certain that no one remains under the rubble.
