KARACHI, Pakistan (Reuters) -An explosion at a fireworks warehouse in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city, injured at least 34 people on Thursday, police said, causing panic among residents.
The warehouse and some nearby shops caught fire after the blast, which was followed by several smaller explosions, forcing residents to flee for safety on a busy street of the port city.
Smoke billowed from a multi-storey building as firefighters worked to put out the blaze, local news channels showed. There was no indication as to what caused the blast.
The impact of the blast was strong enough to shatter glass in neighbouring shops, peppering people in the street with shards of glass.
Karachi is Pakistan’s financial capital and is home to more than 20 million people.
At least 34 injured people were admitted to hospitals, said police official Summaiya Tariq. Four of them were in critical condition, she said.
“I thought several bombs have exploded,” resident Aqib Khan told reporters.
Closed-circuit camera footage aired by local television channel Geo News showed people running for safety and motorists turning their vehicles around in haste.
The explosion came a day after intense monsoon rains flooded the city.
(Reporting by Asif Shahzad; Editing by Sharon Singleton)
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