At least 33 people were injured in a powerful explosion at a firecracker warehouse on MA Jinnah Road on Thursday, sparking a massive fire that engulfed nearby buildings and vehicles.

Rescue officials confirmed that several of the injured are in critical condition.

Rescue underway

Twelve fire brigade vehicles, along with water bowsers and snorkels, are working tirelessly to extinguish the blaze. Thick plumes of smoke can be seen rising from the site, while the impact of the blast shattered windows of nearby buildings and damaged motorcycles parked close to the warehouse.

Injuries and hospitalisation

According to rescue officials, eight victims sustained severe burn injuries, while at least three remain in critical condition.

20 injured were shifted to Jinnah Hospital,
13 to Civil Hospital, and
11 to Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Trauma Centre, which has been placed on high alert.

Dr. Sabir Memon, head of the trauma centre, confirmed that two patients are in critical condition, while reports suggest more injured may be brought in as the rescue operation continues.

Identities of injured

Some of the injured have been identified as Fida Hussain, Arshad, Adnan, Din Muhammad, Yekdesh Kumar, Ayub, Abid, Hanif, Saeed, Saleem, Kashif, Ammar, Hammad, and Wajih.

Eyewitness accounts

Eyewitnesses reported hearing a loud explosion before the fire broke out. Many described scenes of chaos as smoke spread across the area and people rushed to help the injured.

South SSP Mehzor Ali told Samaa TV that the fireworks shop was very old but has not been damaged. He added that a rescue operation was underway and the condition of two injured was critical.