23 hurt as blast sparks riots

Source: The nation
By: Mansoor Khan | Published: December 28, 2009

KARACHI – At least 23 people were injured when a bomb exploded near a Muharram procession passing through Qasba More. The blast sparked riots in some areas of the city where angry protesters torched several vehicles.
Orangi Town Nazim Abdul Haque while talking to The Nation said that the procession was on its way when the device went off and suddenly fire engulfed the scene. He said panic gripped the area and people started fleeing the scene. He said ambulances of different welfare organisations reached the spot and rushed the injured people to Abbasi Shaheed and Qatar hospitals.
Qatar Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Jamil Ashfaq told The Nation that 17 injured including four police personnel and a child had been brought to the hospital. He said the injured had sustained pellets wounds but their condition was out of danger.
Abbasi Shaheed Hospital MS Dr Mushood while confirming the arrival of six injured, termed their condition stable. He also said that the condition of the victims was similar to the victims of Khilafat Chowk, Papushnagar blast.
Karachi CCPO Waseem Ahmed, when contacted, said that it was a non-explosive blast, but it would be premature to connect it to the ongoing terrorism wave. The CCPO explained that experts of Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) remained clueless as they couldn’t find any explosive-related evidence from the blast scene. He said the police and BDS personnel were trying to find out the cause of the blast.
SP Orangi Town, Fayyaz Ahmed Qureshi said that the nature of the blast was yet to be confirmed but the blast had taken place at Qasba More when the procession was on its way to Orangi Town. He said it was a planted bomb device fixed inside the gutter which exploded. He, however, suspected it could be a low-intensity blast possibly occurred due to the gasses in the gutter.