Several houses were destroyed in the blast and many people were still trapped under the rubble. Rescue operations were underway. District Health Officer (DHO), Khanewal, Dr Muhammad Yousuf Soomra, told this scribe that the death toll could rise further as the rubble of the collapsed buildings was being dug out to find out any survivors or dead.
He said that emergency had been declared at the Mian Channu Tehsil Headquarters Hospital where all dead bodies and the injured had been shifted. Police sources said the blast created a big crater at the scene. The injured were rushed to hospital, among whom 12 were reported in critical condition.
DPO Khanewal Muhammad Kamran Khan said that a cassette, pumphlets of Harkat-ul-Jihad-i-Islami, two jackets of suicide bombers, two Kalashinkovs, many bulltes, detonators, six rockets, and rocket launchers were recovered from the rubble of the house. He expressed fear that casualties could increase while rescue teams were operating there with the help of modern machinery.
He confirmed the deaths of 15 persons and said: "I am in a position to confirm the death of only 15 persons and 70 injured, who were admitted in Khanewal, Sahiwal and Mian Chunnu hospitals and some seriously injured person were shifted to Nishtar Hospital, Multan, where their condition was stated to be precarious.
Dr Nameed Sadiq Malhi, Medical Superintendent of THQ Hospital, Mian Chunnu, said, "Emergency has been declared in the hospital and there are only 39 injured in his hospital, and 10 dead bodies. He said that injured persons, mostly women, say that they heard a big bang of blastand then their homes collapsed and they were buried under the debris.
Investigating officer of Mian Channu city police said that the explosion took place in the house of Riaz Kumboh, leading to the collapse of some 25 buildings including a rural health centre and a religious school. Later, Multan Police have arrested Moulvi Riaz Ahmed, an activist of Lashkar-e-Taiba from Nishtar Hospital Multan where he was under treatment. His sister Ghulam Fatima (22) succumbed to wounds in Nishtar Hospital while another two persons Ghulan Nabi (50) and Hajran Bibi (3) died soon after shifting from Mian Chunnu to Multan after the blast.