At least 25 people, including some in critical condition, were injured after an explosion took place at a fireworks storage facility in Karachi, Pakistan.
Thick smoke could be seen billowing into the sky from the building where firecrackers were stored, according to television footage.
Witnesses cited by AP said that broken glass from nearby shops covered the road and panicked residents fled the scene.
Firefighters rushed to extinguish the blaze while ambulances ferried the injured, including passers-by, to hospitals.
Senior police official Asad Raza said several shops and vehicles on Jinnah Road were damaged in the blast. The cause of the explosion was not immediately known.
The fire was reported in a warehouse near Taj Complex on MA Jinnah Road, a Rescue 1122 spokesperson said, adding,“as soon as Rescue 1122’s Central Command and Control team received the information, the Fire and Rescue team reached the scene along with an ambulance and two fire brigade trucks.”
Police surgeon Summaiya Syed told Dawn, “Sixteen injured at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre [with] two critical. Fourteen at Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Trauma Centre,” adding that the warehouse had been storing firecrackers.
Karachi traffic police said MA Jinnah Road had been closed due to the fire, with traffic from Numaish being diverted towards Society Signal and Ali Raza Imambargah.
Citizens were advised to call the Traffic Police helpline at 1915 for alternate routes “to avoid inconvenience,” the Dawn reported.
Sindh CM Murad Ali Shah took notice of the incident and directed officials to control the blaze and ensure no lives were lost. According to a statement, he also ordered the Karachi Commissioner to provide immediate medical assistance to the injured and submit a detailed report. “There is no permission to produce materials near cities or populated areas which can cause damage,” CM Murad was quoted as saying.
The Sindh home ministry later issued a statement saying 20 people had been injured in the blaze.
Home minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar directed police reinforcements to the scene, saying, “Police reinforcements should be sent to rescue the injured and transfer them quickly to the nearest hospital. An investigation must be completed and a report submitted soon.”
Lanjar also instructed investigators to include statements from the injured and evidence from the scene, Dawn furthed added.
Explosions at fireworks facilities are not uncommon in Pakistan. In January, six people were killed in a similar blast at a fireworks storage site in Mandi Bahauddin, Punjab province. Fires in commercial and residential buildings are also frequent, largely blamed on poor infrastructure, weak enforcement of safety rules, and negligence.
Thick smoke could be seen billowing into the sky from the building where firecrackers were stored, according to television footage.
Witnesses cited by AP said that broken glass from nearby shops covered the road and panicked residents fled the scene.
Firefighters rushed to extinguish the blaze while ambulances ferried the injured, including passers-by, to hospitals.
Senior police official Asad Raza said several shops and vehicles on Jinnah Road were damaged in the blast. The cause of the explosion was not immediately known.
The fire was reported in a warehouse near Taj Complex on MA Jinnah Road, a Rescue 1122 spokesperson said, adding,“as soon as Rescue 1122’s Central Command and Control team received the information, the Fire and Rescue team reached the scene along with an ambulance and two fire brigade trucks.”
Police surgeon Summaiya Syed told Dawn, “Sixteen injured at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre [with] two critical. Fourteen at Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Trauma Centre,” adding that the warehouse had been storing firecrackers.
Karachi traffic police said MA Jinnah Road had been closed due to the fire, with traffic from Numaish being diverted towards Society Signal and Ali Raza Imambargah.
Citizens were advised to call the Traffic Police helpline at 1915 for alternate routes “to avoid inconvenience,” the Dawn reported.
Sindh CM Murad Ali Shah took notice of the incident and directed officials to control the blaze and ensure no lives were lost. According to a statement, he also ordered the Karachi Commissioner to provide immediate medical assistance to the injured and submit a detailed report. “There is no permission to produce materials near cities or populated areas which can cause damage,” CM Murad was quoted as saying.
The Sindh home ministry later issued a statement saying 20 people had been injured in the blaze.
ٹکرز/وزیر داخلہ و قانون سندھ
— Home & Law Department, Govt of Sindh (@HomeSindh) August 21, 2025
کراچی،22 اگست 2025:-
صدر پارکنگ پلازہ کے قریب کارخانے میں آتشزدگی۔۔20 افراد کے زخمی ہونیکی اطلاع۔۔
وزیر داخلہ سندھ ضیاء الحسن لنجار نے ڈی آئی جی ساؤتھ سے تفصیلات طلب کرلیں۔۔
زخمیوں کو ریسیکیو کرنے کے لیئے پولیس کمک روانہ کی جائے۔وزیر داخلہ سندھ…
Home minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar directed police reinforcements to the scene, saying, “Police reinforcements should be sent to rescue the injured and transfer them quickly to the nearest hospital. An investigation must be completed and a report submitted soon.”
Lanjar also instructed investigators to include statements from the injured and evidence from the scene, Dawn furthed added.
Explosions at fireworks facilities are not uncommon in Pakistan. In January, six people were killed in a similar blast at a fireworks storage site in Mandi Bahauddin, Punjab province. Fires in commercial and residential buildings are also frequent, largely blamed on poor infrastructure, weak enforcement of safety rules, and negligence.
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