At Least 12 Killed In Pakistan Drain Blast

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Karachi: A blast in Karachi’s congested Shershah area killed at least 12 people and injured many more on Saturday.

According to reports in local media, a violent explosion took place in a drain beneath a private bank.

The Dawn reported that accumulation of gases in the drain is likely to have caused the blast. It was further reported that the bank had been served a notice to vacate the building to enable cleaning of the drain.

Besides damaging the building housing the bank, the powerful explosion shattered windows of nearby buildings and also damaged some vehicles, AP quoted police spokesperson Sohail Jokhio as saying.

There was a second blast while rescue operation was underway after electric wires collided with the gas line, but no loss of life was reported in that incident.