- The fire damages four homes on the tenth floor and affects the roof of the ninth.
- Rescuers used firefighters, shuttles and snorkels to control the fire.
- The police collect evidence and search the affected area, suspecting that it is an arson attack.
KARACHI: A gas cylinder explosion sparked a fire in a residential building near Hyderi in north Nazimabad on Sunday, leaving one child dead and four others injured as the fire damaged several apartments on the 10th floor, rescue officials said.
Rescue officials said the boy’s body was recovered from the rubble, bringing the death toll in the incident to one. Four people were injured in the incident, including a woman and a girl. Three of the injured were reported to be in critical condition and were taken to a hospital.
According to police and rescue officials, the explosion occurred inside a tenth-floor apartment. The explosion damaged the roof of a ninth-floor apartment and also affected the building’s elevator.
The fire spread to four homes on the tenth floor, prompting the immediate evacuation of the building. Police said the residential complex was cleared after the incident.
Rescue personnel 1122 entered the building to conduct rescue operations. Initially, no snorkelling equipment had arrived at the scene, but four firefighters, a bowser and snorkelling vehicles were later deployed to control the fire.
Authorities said power to the building was disconnected as a precaution, while rescue officials confirmed that all residents were safely evacuated.
After several hours of extinguishing efforts, authorities said the fire had been brought under control and cooling operations were underway.
Dr Imran Khan of SSP Central was present at the spot and the surrounding road was cleared for emergency operations.
Police and other relevant authorities have started collecting evidence and conducting a search in the affected area to determine the exact cause of the explosion.
