Drain explosion in Karachi’s Lasbela Chowk kills courier company employee: police

The body of a youth was found on Saturday inside a drain where an explosion occurred a day ago, purportedly due to the accumulation of gases, in Karachi’s Lasbela Chowk, police said.

The 22-year-old worked for a courier company, TCS, and his body was taken to Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital, Karachi, where doctors confirmed that he died from the “impact of the explosion”, Soldier Bazaar police Station House Officer (SHO) Pir Shabbir Haider told Dawn.com.

He said eight people were injured in Friday’s explosion, and the TCS employee was later reported missing. “Police launched a search operation to trace him with the help of divers and he was found dead inside the drain near Patel Para on Saturday morning,” he added.

Google Maps show that Patel Para is a 10-minute walk from Lasbela Chowk, where the explosion occurred.

SHO Haider said the deceased had left his office to get some currency exchanged when the explosion occurred and he fell into the drain due to its impact.

“He was the only son of his parents, and his father is a rickshaw driver,” he added.

According to the SHO, the number of injured in the explosion could have increased to 200-300 as it took place in a busy commercial area. But it occurred at a time when the majority of the shopkeepers had gone to offer Friday’s prayer due to which only a handful of people were affected, he told Dawn yesterday.

Meanwhile, East-Senior Superintendent of Police Zubair Nazeer Shaikh said police were waiting for the final report from the bomb disposal squad to determine the exact cause of the explosion.

Some vehicles, furniture and kitchen items of an eatery were also damaged in the incident.