Two successive car bombs exploded near the residence of the United States consul general in the southern Pakistani port city of Karachi on Wednesday, injuring at least 15 people, police said.
The explosions occurred in two cars parked near the consul’s residence and the adjacent Pakistan-American Cultural Centre, a senior police official said.
“It is an act of terrorism and the US building was definitely the target,” said city police chief Tariq Jamil.
The second, more powerful, blast occurred as police and security officials were investigating the first explosion, they said.
“There was another car blast which was much more severe than the first one. Many people including police and journalists were injured,” a police officer said.
The second blast, which hit about half-an-hour after the first, caused casualties among security personnel and reporters.
Several press photographers, including an AFP photographer at the scene, were injured in the second blast.
Police cordoned off the area and ambulances rushed a number of people to the hospital, an AFP correspondent at the scene reported.
So far there have been no reports of any dead but at least 15 people were injured including police officials and journalists, officials said. — Sapa-AFP
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