KARACHI: An explosion at a cigarette shop killed at least two people and wounded seven others in Karachi’s Landhi area on Monday, police said.

The incident took place in the poor, crowded Khurramabad neighbourhood of the southern port city of 18 million people, which is plagued by murders, kidnappings and politically linked violence.

“At least two people were killed after the explosion at a cigarette shop,” local police official Mohammad Khalid.

Bomb disposal official Abdul Hameed said initial investigations showed that the bomb was planted under a motorcycle and detonated with a timer.

According to the initial report by bomb disposal officials, the bomb contained two kilograms of explosive material and was placed near a neighbourhood pan and cigarette shop.

A man and his twelve-year old son were killed as a result of the bomb explosion, which, Khalid said, also damaged eight motorcycles and three nearby shops.

The injured also included two children.

Dr Seemi Jamali, in-charge of the emergency department at Jinnah hospital, told DawnNews that some of the injured were in critical condition.

Pakistan is preparing for a general election expected in May but a surge in violent sectarian attacks, including a bombing in Karachi last weekend that killed 50 people, has raised fears for security at the polls.