KARACHI: Police on Wednesday launched a probe to ascertain the exact causes of Tuesday’s explosion in a New Karachi ice factory as two more injured victims died lifting the death toll to 10, officials said.

At least eight people were killed and several others injured when the huge explosion took place in the factory, destroying its infrastructure. The powerful blast destroyed the ground-plus-one factory structure and badly damaged two other neighbouring industrial units while shattering the windowpanes of houses in the densely populated locality.

The officials feared that the death toll might rise further as the condition of three injured persons was stated to be precarious.

A police team led by DIG West Asim Qaimkhani and comprising bomb disposal experts on Wednesday visited the spot near Saba Cinema where they met representatives of industrialists.

“They exchanged views with the Bomb Disposal Squad and other experts to determine the causes of the explosion in the factory,” according to a brief statement issued by a police spokesperson.

Investigators are looking for exact cause of the blast

A BDS expert, who wished not to be named, said that the nature of the explosion was still not known.

However, the expert said that they collected evidence from the scene and sent it to a Karachi University laboratory. Besides, the expert said they could not thoroughly check the place due to debris, which might be removed on Thursday (today) paving the way for the experts to examine it to get any clues about the possible nature of the explosion.

Chemicals stored in drums may have caused blast

An official of the New Karachi Industrial Area police station said that the explosion was not caused by a boiler or gas leakage.

The official hinted that chemicals kept there in drums might have triggered the explosion. Earlier, Gulberg SP Azhar Khan Mughal told the media that it might be a “gas explosion”.

He added that the BDS and technical teams were examining the spot on whose findings the exact cause of the explosion would be determined. The SP said that a case would be registered in the light of findings of the technical team.

He said that the debris was being removed with the help of heavy machinery.

The owner of the factory had not made any contact with the police so far, he said, adding that the alleged criminal negligence had caused the loss of 10 lives and injuries to over 25 persons and a case would be registered against the factory management.

Municipal Commissioner Central Sumera Husain told the media that the rescue operation had continued till Tuesday night and one more body was retrieved on Wednesday morning. She said when they reached the spot they felt the smell of ammonia.

‘No boiler in ice factory’

The rescue operation was still going on and teams of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority also joined it.

The official hinted that some people, dead or alive, might still be trapped under the debris.

A representative of industrialists, Mohammed Farooq, told the media that the factory had no boiler.

“It may have a compressor, but a boiler has no function inside an ice factory,” he said.

He said that the compressor was in a good condition and a gas leakage might have caused the blast.

The officials said that the industrial unit was meant for manufacturing ice but the owner had also allegedly built a “cold storage” there where juices of mangoes, oranges and different types of fruits were kept.

They said that the factory was there for the past 20 years and its owner reportedly lived abroad.

Police on Wednesday identified some of the deceased persons as Mubashir, Mohsin, Abdul Waheed, Fazal Kareem, Naeem, Sunny, Mohammed Ramzan, Yusuf and Fayaz.

Published in Dawn, December 24th, 2020