Published: December 10, 2011
KARACHI: At least seven people were injured in a blast near the Silver Jubilee gate of the University of Karachi on Saturday. Police estimate that explosive material between 5-8kg was used in the blast.
Initial reports state that a bomb had been planted near the greenbelt outside the university premises. The bomb left a two-feet crater at the site.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Gulshan-i-Iqbal confirmed the incident and said that the blast was of high intensity.
The area has been put on high alert and nearby shops have been shut down.
Police have cordoned off the area and the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) has arrived to carry out investigations.
The injured have been shifted to the hospital.
Spokesman University of Karachi Qamar Rizvi said that BA and BSc exams will be held as per schedule today.
On Friday, a roadside bomb exploded on main University Road near Safoora Chowrangi, killing three and injuring seven Rangers personnel.
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Dec. 10, 2011 1:24 AM ET
Lax safety cited in deadly hospital fire in India
KOLKATA, India (AP) — A private Indian hospital where 90 people died in a massive fire had failed to update its safety procedures despite being ordered to do so months ago, officials said Saturday.
Most of the victims died in their beds from inhaling noxious black smoke that filled AMRI Hospital's rooms and corridors after the fire broke out before dawn Friday in the basement and medical staff fled the scene.
Authorities had warned hospital administrators in September about the basement, where radiation equipment was stored, but no action was taken to improve safety, said West Bengal state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who pulled the hospital's license.
The AMRI Hospital — recently rated by an Indian magazine as one of the best in Kolkata, formerly known as Calcutta — also did not have proper firefighting equipment, according to state disaster management minister Javed Khan.
The hospital denied that any safety measures were violated.
Police have charged six hospital directors with culpable homicide. Authorities were still trying to determine what caused the blaze but said no radiation leak has been detected.
Witnesses say many medical staff abandoned the hospital's 160 or so patients and fled the fire. Firefighters took more than an hour to arrive, and then had trouble bringing fire trucks close to the seven-story hospital because of the neighborhood's narrow streets.
Rescue workers on ladders smashed windows to reach patients on the upper floors, and most survivors were taken to a nearby hospital, although at least 25 of the most critical patients were still being kept in AMRI Hospital's main wing on Saturday until they could be relocated.
Safety regulations are routinely ignored at Indian hospitals, with few having fire stairways or holding evacuation drills. Even if fire extinguishers are present, they are commonly several years old and never serviced.
Associated Press
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