Summary Punjab and Sindh announced observing day of mourning today over the deaths in Abbas Town blast.
According to an announcement of Punjab government, mourning day will be observed in Punjab today (Monday) following deadly bomb blasts in Abbas Town in Karachi.
On the other hand CM Sindh, Qaim Ali Shah also announced to observe a day of mourning today following Abbas Town blasts which killed 45 people and injured more than 150.
National flags will remain at half-mast on all the government buildings.
All education institutes, markets and courts will remain closed today in Karachi.
A powerful blast occurred in a residential plaza in Abbas Town near Abul Hassan Isfahani Road on Sunday evening.
Police and rescue teams rushed to the area after the blast while the injured were shifted to different hospitals. Panic spread in Abbas Town which is a densely populated area.
Women and children were among the dead including brother-in-law and sister-in-law of Deputy Speaker Sindh Assembly Shehla Raza, and a three-year-old child.
Talking to Dunya News, Deputy Speaker Sindh Assembly Shehla Raza said that her relatives were residing in Abbas Town and still there was no information about some of them.
She said that the nation should unite to defeat terrorism. Shehla appealed to the people to remain calm.
According to Commissioner Karachi, 50 injured persons were in critical condition.
Police claimed that engine of the vehicle used in the blast was recovered and the accused were being traced with the help of number of the engine. They added that at least 150 kilogram explosives were used in the blast.
Electricity supply was suspended after the blast. 50 flats and 15 shops were gutted down as aresult of the blast.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf strongly condemned the blasts and expressed sympathies with heirs of the victims.
The governement has announced Rs 1.5 million for the dead and Rs one million for the injured as compensation.
The Sindh government, MQM, PML-N and Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen called for a day of mourning today while Jafria Alliance has announced wheel-Jam strike.
