ISLAMABAD, Feb 19 (Bernama-Xinhua) -- The death toll from a gas explosion at a residential building in Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi has risen to 16, rescue officials said on Thursday, reported Xinhua.
The explosion occurred at around 4:15 am local time on the first floor of a three-storey building, Assistant Superintendent of Police Jamshed Asher told the media.
The building partially collapsed following the explosion, burying several people under the rubble, he said.
Search and rescue operations are ongoing, with an urban search and rescue team and a disaster response vehicle deployed at the scene, the state-owned Rescue 1122 said in a statement.
The building consisted of small rooms, which made the rescue efforts challenging due to limited space, the statement added.
Police have launched an investigation into the incident as rescue teams continue efforts to clear the debris.
--BERNAMA-XINHUA
RD
BERNAMA provides up-to-date authentic and comprehensive news and information which are disseminated via BERNAMA Wires; www.bernama.com; BERNAMA TV on Astro 502, unifi TV 631 and MYTV 121 channels and BERNAMA Radio on FM93.9 (Klang Valley), FM107.5 (Johor Bahru), FM107.9 (Kota Kinabalu) and FM100.9 (Kuching) frequencies.
Follow us on social media :
Facebook : @bernamaofficial, @bernamatv, @bernamaradio
Twitter : @bernama.com, @BernamaTV, @bernamaradio
Instagram : @bernamaofficial, @bernamatvofficial, @bernamaradioofficial
TikTok : @bernamaofficial
