Soldier Bazaar building collapse: Owner arrested as police lodge FIR

Police have lodged an FIR of the tragic gas explosion that ripped through a building in Karachi’s Soldier Bazaar, claiming the lives of 16 people and leaving 15 others injured.

The case has been lodged at the Soldier Bazaar police station, and the building’s owner, Mahmood Irshad, has been taken into custody. Police said that the structure had three illegally constructed floors built on a 40-yard plot.

They said that the blast, which occurred during Sehri, was triggered by a gas leak. The three-storey building had a single room on each floor.

Preliminary investigations indicate the blast resulted from a gas leak rather than a cylinder explosion. Authorities found that the kitchen had faulty gas fittings and a plastic pipe supplying gas, which increased the risk of leakage. Gas suction machines had also been installed in the house.

Gas supply in the area had been suspended for several days and resumed abruptly the previous night at high pressure. He said the explosion could have been caused by an open gas valve, a short circuit, or even a lit match.

Officials emphasised that such incidents in Karachi are usually caused by gas leaks rather than cylinder explosions.