At least 95 people were injured and a child was killed as a result of celebratory aerial firing in Karachi on the eve of Independence Day, a hospital official said on Wednesday.
Incidents of aerial firing are a routine occurrence on occasions such as Independence Day and New Year’s Eve despite bans imposed in the past, often leaving dozens injured.
According to a statement issued by police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed, a total of 95 aerial firing cases were reported across three major hospitals in Karachi.
Thirty-nine cases, comprising 33 men and six women, were noted at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC). The eldest was 74 years old while the youngest was a five-year-old child.
Abbasi Shaheed Hospital received 34 injured people, including 25 men and nine women, with their ages ranging between six and 65 years.
At the Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto (SMBB) Trauma Centre, 22 injured, comprising 17 men and five women, were reported. The eldest person was aged 55 years while the youngest was six years old.
The condition of one injured being treated at the SMBB Trauma Centre was “serious”, Dr Syed told Dawn.com. She also confirmed that a child had died, with a police statement saying that a suspect in that case had been arrested.
Earlier, the Chhipa rescue service’s information bureau issued a list of the injured people along with their ages and the area of the incident.
“People injured due to aerial firing in various parts of Karachi on the occasion of Independence Day are being taken to the Civil (SMBB Trauma Centre), Jinnah (JPMC), and Abbasi Shaheed hospitals via Chhipa ambulances,” the statement said.
According to the list, which reported 75 people as injured, at least 18 minors and 12 women were among those wounded as a result of aerial firing. They included a three-year-old, two four-year-olds, and an 82-year-old woman.
The incidents took place in various areas, including Korangi, Landhi, Lyari, Nazimabad, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Liaquatabad, Sohrab Goth, and Golimar.
19 arrested across city
Police across Karachi’s Central District arrested 14 suspects while the Korangi District police took five men into custody for the aerial firing incidents, with weapons allegedly being recovered in all cases.
According to a statement issued by Zeeshan Shafique, spokesperson for the Central District senior superintendent of police, a total of 14 suspects have been taken into custody within the limits of various police stations and cases have been filed against them.
A suspect was arrested by the Shahrah-i-Noor Jahan police after a child died due to accidental gunfire, the police statement said. It added that a licensed pistol was recovered from the suspect and a first information report (FIR) was registered.
Police stations of Khawaja Ajmer Nagri, New Karachi, Sir Syed, Supermarket, Hyderi Market, Paposhnagar, Joharabad, and Gulbahar each arrested one person involved in aerial firing and recovered arms from them, most of which were licensed.
Nazimabad police arrested two suspects while Sharifabad police arrested three, the statement by Shafique said.
Separately, the Korangi District police said they had arrested five men allegedly involved in aerial firing.
The arrests were made in Saudabad, Landhi, Zaman Town, and various areas of Korangi, the police statement said. It claimed that weapons were recovered from the suspects and cases were registered against them.
