Young man’s body recovered after drainage explosion in Karachi’s Lasbela

KARACHI: The body of a young man, who went missing after an explosion in sewerage line in Lasbela area a day earlier, has been recovered.

The body of Arieb was recovered from the debris after frantic efforts for several hours after he went missing for several hours.

Speaking to media, his uncle said they requested the authorities to find the body of the young man several times yesterday. He slammed the local administration for their incompetence in finding the body.

The young man was trapped in the rubble for several hours. Arieb used to work in a courier company. He was the only child of his parents and had three daughters.

His uncle said they searched for Arieb yesterday but looked in the hospitals and the drain but couldn’t find him. He said the Arieb would have been found if the authorities worked yesterday.

At least nine people were injured and several shops were damaged in a powerful gas explosion at Lasbela Chowk on Friday, located within the limits of Solider Bazaar police station.

The incident occurred on a drain where the shops were built. The blast led to the evacuation of the residents in a nearby building. A pickup, a car and motorcycle, some furniture and kitchen items of an eatery were damaged.

Rescue officials said the explosion was caused by the accumulation of gas in the drains, causing items from the shops to fall into the drain. Rescue workers swiftly responded and shifted the injured to Civil Hospital for treatment.

Police called the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) to ascertain whether it was an act of sabotage or not. However, initial investigation suggests the blast was caused by the accumulation of gas.

SHO Pir Shabbir Haider said that a road had been constructed near Hashmani cloth market over the drain, making it airtight.

He said that the blast took place when the shopkeepers had gone to offer Friday prayers. He said the number of injured could have increased as it was a busy commercial area.

Lasbela Chowk is an important roundabout that connects the old and new parts of the city. The blast site is close to the office of the Edhi Foundation.