Karachi: An early morning bomb blast in Lyari town killed at least seven people on Wednesday, majority of whom were children, and also injured dozens of spectators who were returning home after a football match, the most popular sport in town.
The bomb, planted on a motorcycle, was detonated with a remote control device. It was aimed at a provincial minister who, however, managed to survive the attack. His vehicle was badly damaged.
More than six kilograms of explosives was used in the blast, the police said.
Sources said the bomb was so powerful that the blast was heard miles away. It destroyed many vehicles, including the one of Javed Nagori, the provincial minister for Katcchi Abadi or slums. Children, aged between six and 15 years, were victims of the blast.
Witnesses said their hearing was impaired for a few seconds because of the blast’s intense nature. The bodies of the children and other injured lay on the road after the blast, witnesses added.
“Most of the bodies were of children who were spectators of the football match,” Sanya Naz, the provincial assembly legislator of Pakistan People’s Party, told Gulf News. However, she put the death toll at 11.
Protests outside hospital
Four of the children who died were players of the winning team and were taking their trophy back home. The injured were rushed to the Civil Hospital where people agitated in protest.
It was not clear which group was behind the attack but police are investigating different leads. The police suspect political rivalry, the hand of the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), the Baloch separatist group or militants from Islamist groups behind the bomb blast.
“Our investigation is three-pronged and we are looking into the possibility of involvement of the BLA, Islamists and political rivalry behind the attack,” Tareq Dharejo, a senior police officer, told Gulf News.
Earlier at midnight, four low-intensity bomb blasts were carried out within the span of an hour at different areas in the city. No one was injured in the four blasts which were detonated outside closed wine shops, the police said.
