Karachi, Dec 19: A powerful explosion ripped through a chemical storage warehouse in the southern port city of Karachi today, killing four people. Police said they were investigating whether the victims were attempting to make an explosive device when it went off. All the dead worked or lived in the single-story building, which was used both as a residence and as a storage area rented out by a pharmaceutical company, said police spokesman Javed Baluch.
``There is a possibility that the people inside the building were trying to make an explosive device and it went off,'' said Karachi Police chief Asad Ashraf Malik. Police said one of the victims was a woman. Malik said police had found an exploded casing in the debris.

``We cannot rule out terrorism in the explosion,'' he said, but added that it was premature to say for certain what caused the blast. He said several of the chemicals being stored at the warehouse could be used to make explosives.
Firefighters used front-end loaders and drills to dig through the debris to unearth the bodies. The surrounding Korangi neighborhood, located in the east of the city, was cordoned off during the excavation, but no evacuation was ordered.
A strong, pungent odor hung over the area, but firefighter Israr Ahmad said it was still not known what kind of chemical was being stored in the warehouse. Police said they were questioning some of the employees of the pharmaceutical firm to find out.
``I was inside my bakery and everything shook. I ran out and I saw a huge ball of smoke,'' said Noman Ahmed, a baker in the Korangi neighborhood. Bureau Report