A second victim of the Swabi police station explosion succumbed to his injuries at Bacha Khan Medical Complex in Peshawar on Friday morning, raising the death toll to two, reported 24NewsHD TV Channel.
According to the TV channel, Siraj, son of Aurangzeb, was an employee of the Food Department and was severely injured in Thursday night’s powerful blast at the police station.
The blast occurred inside the Swabi City police station at around 8 pm, causing significant damage to the building and nearby structures.
According to the District Police Officer (DPO) of Swabi Haroon Rasheed, the explosion was caused by a short circuit, which led to the collapse of the police station building.
Both civilians and police officers were trapped under the rubble. Among the 16 injured, 10 were police personnel, while the rest were civilians.
Tragically, an 8-year-old boy who was reciting Holy Quran in a nearby mosque lost his life when the mosque's structure collapsed due to the blast.
Rescue 1122 teams arrived promptly at the scene with fire trucks and ambulances, extinguishing the fire caused by the explosion and rescuing 15 individuals trapped under the debris, including detainees held at the station.
Eight of the critically injured were taken to Bacha Khan Medical Complex, while the others were transported to the District Headquarters Hospital in Swabi.
DPO Haroon Rasheed told reporters that the blast occurred in the police station’s warehouse room, where huge quantity of explosive material recovered from the terrorists from time to time was stored.
According to initial reports, he said, the explosion was apparently triggered by short circuit, which caused multiple detonations.
The upper portion of the police station was badly damaged.
He said investigation was underway to determine the exact cause of the blast. “The explosion has severely damaged the building, and teams are busy in rescue work,” he added.
Rescue workers and fire brigade personnel reached the scene immediately after the blast and shifted the injured to nearby hospitals, including the Bacha Khan Medical Complex, where an emergency was declared.
A hospital spokesperson confirmed that eight injured had been admitted at the facility, two of them were in critical condition.
“All necessary medical care is being provided to the injured. The hospital administration is closely monitoring the situation,” he added.
Chief Minister Ali Amin took notice of the blast and sought a report from the Inspector General of Police. He also directed that best medical care should be provided to the injured.
Reporter: Amir Shehzad