The lost peace of Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi

6 explosions wound 37 in Karachi, Pakistan

By ASHRAF KHAN –

KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — A string of small explosions wounded at least 37 people Monday in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi, rattling the country a day after a deadly suicide attack in the capital, officials said

Five men were detained in connection with the blasts, a police official said.

The six blasts came within about an hour of each other, striking residential and commercial spots in the teeming port city, where political and militant-related violence is common.

Television footage showed ambulances rushing people through Karachi's crowded streets, and victims lying in hospital beds with bloody bandages.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, just as there has not been for the Sunday blast in Islamabad, which left at least 18 people dead, most of them police officers.

Liaqat Memon, an official at Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, said 37 people including eight children were hurt. One adult was in critical condition.

At least 2,000 people gathered at the hospital in central Karachi, where many of the victims were taken. People were searching for friends and relatives among the wounded.

Babar Khattak, Sindh province police chief, said that it appeared that about 5 ounces to 7 ounces of explosives were used in each of the six Karachi blasts — only enough to create a relatively small explosion. He confirmed the detention of the five men.

More here from the Associated Press