Karachi:
The rescuers took three more bodies of the rubble of the Collapsed Plaza de Al-Amna in Ma Jinnah Road, raising the number of the dead of the explosion of the fireworks warehouse of fireworks from Thursday to six. It is said that four of the injured are critical.
The explosion occurred in a warehouse and warehouse used to store and sell fireworks, located within Al-Amna Plaza. The explosion triggered a mass fire, which was controlled before rescue equipment launched search operations.
On Thursday night, rescuers recovered the second body of the rubble. The carbonized and unidentifiable body was transferred to the Civil Hospital. The spectators, however, recognized the victim for their beard as Hamza, 32. Married two and a half years ago, Hamza was the father of a little daughter. He directed a surgical instrument store in Al-Amna Plaza, supplying teams to the hospitals. The assets worth millions of rupees were destroyed in the explosion.
During the early hours of Friday, a third body was recovered and taken to the Civil Hospital. The deceased was identified by his family as Shehzad Ali, 40. Shehzad was the owner of a headphones called “Karachi Audience” in the square, and was a resident of Korangi No. 5 with two children. His relative Dilshad said that despite looking for several cemeteries, they fought to find space for burial. Finally, after much effort, he was buried in the Chakra Gotha cemetery, Korangi, after Friday’s prayers.
Later at night, rescue workers recovered a fourth body of the rubble. The authorities identified the deceased as Sikandar, 20, son of Rizwan. With his death, the toll of the explosion rose to six. Four of the bodies were taken from the rubble, while two of the injured had succumbed to their wounds in Jinnah and civil hospitals on Thursday night.
Rescue officials 1122 said the search operations on the site are still underway. Police have cordoned off the area and deployed additional personnel. The merchants of Al-Amna Plaza told Express that it was not yet clear how many people can remain trapped. They said that a man named Ayaz, who was present in the square at the time of the explosion, has been disappeared since then, and his family desperately sought him without success.
South SSP District Mahzoor Ali, accompanied by a pump elimination squad team, was present on the site.
He said the police had nominated the owner of the warehouse, Muhammad Hanif, known locally as Hanif Patakha, and his brother, Muhammad Ayub, in the case. Hanif is currently under police custody, while efforts are being made to arrest Ayub, who, according to reports, was his commercial partner. It was not clear if Ayub was present in the warehouse at the time of the explosion.
SSP Ali declared that the fireworks warehouse destroyed in the explosion was quite old. Investigations are being carried out to determine how long a license had had and how their renewal process was managed.
He mentioned that the warehouse license has not been issued recently, it was very old. As the warehouse existed, it implies that they previously had a license. He added that any finding that arises during the investigation will be thoroughly examined. He also said that the remaining fireworks in the warehouse are being inspected by the explosive department and the pump elimination equipment, and their report will be published soon.
Fire director Humayun Khan said that the explosion was so powerful that he damaged the structural pillars of the building and destroyed the windows of nearby stores and houses.
