The bank was about to shift to a new location but it was 'our misfortune' that the branch exploded before shifting to the new location.
On Saturday, 14 people were killed and many others were injured in a tragic accident in Karachi, Pakistan. The death toll may rise in the blast at Parcha Chowk in Shershah area of the city. Presently the search and rescue operation is going on.
How did the explosion happen?
The blast occurred in a gas pipeline running through a drain at Parsa Chowk, causing heavy damage to a private bank building built above it.
PTI-Karachi President MPA Khurram Sher Zaman said that the father of MNA Alamgir Khan was also among those killed in the blast. He also told that the condition of four of the injured remains critical.
An eyewitness said that since today is Saturday, only 9 employees of the bank were coming on duty. He said the bank was about to shift to a new location but it was "our misfortune" that the branch exploded before shifting to the new location. Eyewitnesses said that there were also some bank customers who were buried under the debris.
Officials suspect that the explosion took place due to the accumulation of gases in the drain under the building. Shah said a notice was issued to the bank to vacate the premises so that the drain could be cleaned.
Another eyewitness said that he had gone to fill petrol in the motorcycle at the time of the blast. Eyewitnesses said that when the blast happened, he saw some people falling in the drain under the building.
During the rescue and search operation, the second blast occurred when some electrical wires, which were being taken down, hit a gas line.
Rescuers who reached the spot rushed to get the injured admitted to the civil hospital for treatment. Eyewitnesses present on the spot claim that many people are buried under the debris of the building.
Two excavators have been called to the spot to clear the debris and rescue the trapped people.
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