Islamabad, Oct 7 (UNI) At least two people were killed and 11 others, including a foreign national, were said to be injured when a massive explosion took place on a road outside the Karachi airport, media reports said on Monday.
The explosion, heard across town on Sunday night, has sparked conflicting accounts, with officials contrasting between an “IED blast” and an explosion triggered after a vehicle collided with an oil tanker collision, the Dawn reported.
Police and Rangers swiftly arrived at the scene and transported the injured person to a nearby hospital.
The explosion scene footage captured several vehicles engulfed in flames, the reports said.
The Airports Security Force has closed the airport’s exit and entry points following the explosion and cordoned off the surrounding area.
Officials said the Bomb Disposal Squad was working to ascertain the nature of the blast. ‘Too early to tell if it was an ‘IED blast’ or ‘tanker explosion’.
Deputy Inspector General (East) Capt (retd) Azfar Mahesar confirmed that two people were killed in an explosion that destroyed seven vehicles, the Dawn reported.
He said it would take time to ascertain the exact nature of the explosion, adding that until forensic reports were in, nothing concrete could be said about whether it was an act of terror, or an accident.
Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed told Dawn that at least nine injured persons, including a policeman and a woman, were brought to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre.
Two of the injured were also shifted to a private hospital in Clifton, police sources said.
According to reports, the injured were identified as police constables Waqar Ahmed, 28, Mohammed Ilyas, 35, Mohammed Naeem, 51, Ranu Khan, 35, Azeem Meer, 45, Tasleem Noor, 48, Ali Rafiq, 29, Hamza Ateeq, 28, and Sabeeh Mohiuddin, 30.
Traffic police have closed the road leading to the airport from the Model Colony graveyard for vehicular traffic following the blast.
