Karachi: A bomb went off outside the campus of a university in the Pakistani port city of Karachi Saturday, killing at least one person and injuring several others.
The blast occurred near a gate of Karachi University at
about 11 am. Witnesses told TV news channels that a man riding
a motorcycle was seriously injured in the blast.
They said they had collected the man`s body parts and he
was taken to hospital in a private vehicle.
The injured man subsequently died in hospital, officials
were quoted as saying by news channels.
Several others were injured by the blast. Police
officials told the media that a preliminary investigation had
indicated that the bomb was planted by the roadside.
The blast, which was heard from several kilometres away,
damaged several buildings and vehicles. Security forces
cordoned off the area after the blast and shops were shut
down.
Col Shafiq Niazi, a spokesman for the paramilitary
Pakistan Rangers, said a security forces vehicle had been in
the area at the time of the blast but it was not clear whether
it was the target of the attack. He said the force would
increase security across Karachi to prevent more such attacks.
Footage on television showed the mangled remains of a
motorcycle lying at the site of the blast.
Pakistan Rangers personnel took up positions on top of
buildings as members of the bomb disposal squad scoured the
area.
Three Pakistan Rangers personnel were killed and four
more injured when their vehicle was targeted with a roadside
bomb in Karachi yesterday. That attack had occurred about a
kilometre from the site of today’s blast.
Security officials said similar improvised explosive
devices had been used in yesterday`s attack and two other
blasts in Karachi on December 4 and 5.
PTI
