Pakistan: 6 Women, 4 Children Die In Truck Bomb Blast In Karachi

The truck had about 20-25 people, the injured were shifted for treatment. The dead bodies include four boys aged between 10-12 years of age.

Pakistani investigators examine a truck at the site of an explosion, in Karachi, Pakistan, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. (Fareed Khan/AP)

New Delhi: About 11 persons have been reported dead, including 6 women & 4 children after a hand grenade was thrown at the truck they were traveling in by unidentified men.

The victims who were returning home after attending a wedding on Saturday when the incident happened on Saturday in Karachi's Baldia town. Conflicting reports appeared as to how the explosion took place.

According to PTI, one report said that some unidentified people had thrown hand grenades at the truck while others said the truck exploded from inside, police said.

Eleven people had been killed in the explosion which was thought to be the result of a grenade attack, Imran Yaqoob Minhas, Capital City Police Officer, told a reporter according to PTI. 

"I can confirm that 11 bodies have been recovered including six women and four children from the explosion site while 12 have been injured and some are in critical condition", he added.

Though Minhas said that they don't know the exact nature of the blast and that investigation was underway, eyewitnesses say that they saw some people on a motorbike throw a grenade at the truck and they sped away. 

A senior official of the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), Raja Umer Khattab, said it appeared to be a terrorist attack to spread fear and panic in the city. He said based on what they know is that the truck was loaded with 20-25 people when the explosion took place who were returning home after attending a marriage ceremony.

He said the hand grenade had apparently exploded before it hit the floor of the truck.

Meanwhile, Jang newspaper quoted an official of the Bomb Disposal Squad as saying that they suspected the explosion was the result of a bomb blast as they had found shrapnel, nails, and bolts in the wreckage of the truck which are commonly used in locally made bombs.

Khattab said 10 bodies had been moved to the hospital while the injured were also shifted for treatment. The dead bodies include four boys aged between 10-12 years of age, he said.