At least 16 people, including several children, were killed and 14 others injured after a suspected gas leak caused an explosion in a residential building in Karachi on Thursday morning.
The incident occurred around 4:30 a.m. on the first floor of a building in the Old Soldier Bazar area, when residents were awake for Sehri during the holy month of Ramadan, according to police official Jamshed Asher.
The blast caused part of the building’s structure to collapse, trapping residents under the rubble. Rescue teams rushed to the scene, recovering bodies and evacuating the injured to nearby hospitals.
Authorities have launched an investigation to confirm the cause of the explosion, which is suspected to have been triggered by a gas leakage. Safety inspections of other buildings in the area are expected to follow.
Local officials have called for urgent measures to prevent such tragedies, particularly in older residential complexes with aging gas lines and infrastructure.