Karachi, Sept 19: A powerful bomb rocked Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi today, police said. There were no immediate reports of casualties, but the explosion was loud enough to be heard across much of the city.

Police officer Abdul Ghaffar said the blast was caused by a bomb. A large cloud of smoke was coming from the site of the blast in a residential neighborhood in eastern Karachi, said Zafar Iqbal, a doctor.
Witnesses said police had cordoned off the area.

Karachi, Pakistan's largest city, has been the site of several terrorist attacks in recent years, as well as bouts of sectarian violence.

In June 2002, a suicide bomber blew up a truck in front of the US consulate in Karachi, killing 14 Pakistanis. The attack came a month after another suicide attack in the city that killed 11 French engineers.
Bureau Report