KARACHI: Police on Saturday said that a short circuit inside a closed electric room of a fuel station with no vents coupled with accumulation of gases appeared to be the cause of a big explosion in North Nazimabad on Friday night that killed four people and injured nine others, including two women.

“The bomb disposal squad (BDS) in their preliminary report has ruled out the possibility of any sabotage as they did not find any traces of bomb blast there,” said West Zone DIG Nasir Aftab.

The BDS also stated that it was not a gas cylinder blast, added the senior officer.

The experts were of the view that the explosion took place inside the electric room of the petrol pump. It was a closed room with no ventilation where gases might have been accumulating and some electric sparks set off the explosion, said the DIG.

DIG Aftab says FIR will be lodged against owners for negligence

Flying broken glasses

The room has a glass door. Deaths and injuries were mostly caused by flying broken glasses went into the air like pellets because of the explosion, he said.

The DIG said that an FIR would be registered against the owners of the fuel station and whoever might be responsible on charges of manslaughter and criminal negligence.

North Nazimabad SHO Ayazudin said that old AC (air-conditioner) was kept at theelectric room of Byco CNG and petrol pump in Block-A. The electric room was completely closed as there was no window for ventilation.

When the explosion took place, pieces of glasses flew into the air and hit the people present at the fuel station, causing four deaths, injuries to nine others and damages to the station, said the SHO while sharing the findings of the BDS report.

The SHO said that four people died and nine others, including two women, were injured. He said the condition of one woman was relatively serious but her health was improving on Saturday.

Funeral prayers for victims

Among the four dead persons, funeral prayers for two victims were held on Saturday in separate areas.

Thirty-two-year-old, Safeer was laid to rest in Baldia Town.

According to the family, Safeer was on his way on a motorbike to meet his sister in Jamshed Quarters on Friday evening when the tragedy occurred.

He pulled over for a while to fill up the fuel tank when the explosion took place. A mechanic by profession, Safeer got married three years ago and was going to become a father soon.

Another victim Mohammed Zubair was father of a boy. He worked at a plastic factory.

He was returning home in New Karachi from his factory and stopped at the pump to fill up the petrol tank of his bike when the explosion took place.

Published in Dawn, October 31st, 2021