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Gas explosion kills 16 after apartment building partially collapsed in southern Pakistan
A suspected gas leak caused the explosion in Karachi's Soldier Bazaar, killing 16 including children and women, with 14 injured, officials said.
- A gas explosion in Soldier Bazaar No 3, Karachi, tore through a three-storey apartment building on Thursday, February 19, 2026, killing at least 16 and injuring 14.
- Around 4:30 a.m., officials said the blast happened during sehri on the first day of Ramadan when families prepared meals, with initial reports suggesting a gas leak and LPG cylinder use due to low natural gas pressure.
- Rescue teams launched a search operation and pulled survivors from rubble, recovering bodies including Nazia, 10-year-old girl, and Mohammad Riaz, 60-year-old man, while hospitals treated the wounded.
- Authorities cordoned off the area and opened an investigation, with the relevant department to determine the building’s legality and conduct a chemical examination.
- Recent tragedies such as the Gul Shopping Plaza fire and previous collapses in Lyari highlight ongoing safety issues in Karachi, where around 600 buildings are declared dangerous in a country of more than 240 million.
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56 Articles
The explosion completely destroyed the building in the densely populated Soldier Bazaar area, trapping residents under the rubble.
A gas explosion in a residential building in Karachi, Pakistan, caused part of the building to collapse and killed at least 16 people, including women and children, while they were preparing food before dawn on the first day of Ramadan.
16, including children, killed in explosion due to suspected gas leakage in Pakistan's Karachi
At least 16 people, including several children, were killed and 14 others injured after a suspected gas leak triggered a powerful explosion in a residential building in Pakistan's Karachi early Thursday morning. According to police official Jamshed Asher, the blast occurred around 4:30 am on the first floor of a building in the Old Soldier Bazar area, when residents were awake for Sehri. The first day of Ramzan is being observed in Pakistan toda…
At least 13 people have been killed after a detonation rocked Pakistan's largest port city, Karachi.
16 Killed In Building Collapse After Gas Cylinder Blast In Pak's Karachi
A gas explosion ripped through an apartment building in Pakistan's largest port city of Karachi on Thursday, killing at least 16 people, including women and children, and injuring several others after part of the structure collapsed.
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