By Our Web Desk
LAHORE– At least three people were killed and 17 others sustained injuries as an explosion occurred in a house in Lahore’s Johar Town area on Wednesday, police and witnesses said.
Confirming the casualties, CCPO Lahore Ghulam Mehmood Dogar said the investigations were underway into the incident and a team of bomb disposal squad is currently on the crime scene.
“The BDS would share the details about the nature of explosion,” the official said.
According to the TV report, rescue, police, and bomb disposal teams have reached the site of the incident, while witnesses said that the glass windows of nearby houses and buildings have been shattered. One of the buildings has been severely damaged and some vehicles parked at the site of the blast have also been affected.
Seventeen people, who sustained injuries, had been shifted to Lahore’s Jinnah Hospital via private cars and auto-rickshaws. Two persons succumbed to their injuries during treatment, the medical superintendent of the hospital confirmed.
The Jinnah Hospital management has asked people to come forward and donate blood for the injured, adding that treatment is being provided to the wounded. The injured included one police official, a woman, and two children.
Owing to the burns, the condition of all the injured is critical, hospital officials said.
The sound of the blast was so loud that it was heard in faraway areas. However, the nature of the blast has not been ascertained yet.
An eyewitness said that an unidentified individual parked a motorcycle near the house which later exploded.
Police have cordoned off the area for further investigation while traffic has been redirected.
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed has taken notice of the incident and has sought report from the chief secretary and IG Punjab.
“The federal agencies are assisting the Punjab government in the investigation,” the minister added.
Following the incident, Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar has asked the Inspector-General of Police to submit a detailed report of the blast to him.
Taking to Twitter, the Government of Punjab announced that the CM has ordered an immediate investigation of the incident.
