SSP Aslam Chaudhry declared the blast to be a cylinder explosion, based on absence of shrapnel (ball-bearings etc) and blamed the blast on manufacturers of substandard cylinders. According to eye-witnesses, fire tenders and law enforcers arrived late to the spot. Law enforcers, they said, were sluggish in initiating an investigation, initially dismissing as by declaring it as a CNG cylinder blast.
However, the bus conductor denied the existence of any CNG cylinder on the vehicle. According to sources, the high explosive material was planted under the backseat of a Sargodha-bound bus and it exploded at around 3:05pm just as the bus was leaving the bus stand.
Eyewitnesses said that the blast had damaged a bike (KDI-6820), a taxi (JL-3330), a hi-roof (CT-1193) and windowpanes of nearby shops and buildings. Following the blast, bodies and injured persons were shifted to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC). JPMC's MLO Dr Seemi Jamal said that they had received six bodies and some 50 injured persons, including four women. She said that 10 of the injured received minor injuries and were discharged after treatment.
Identities of two bodies had not yet been ascertained while rest of the deceased persons were known as Fazal Rehman, son of Sardar Khan, Nadeem, 30, son of Hanif, Shafiq, 32, son of Khursheed, and Paneha, son of Lal Jee. Dispelling reports regarding a cylinder blast, SP CID (investigations) Mazhar Mashwani told this correspondent that the initial investigation showed that high explosive material had been detonated. Answering a question, he said that it was not determined whether the explosives had been planted on the bus or concealed for smuggling the same to another city.
Meanwhile, officials of the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) said the explosive material had "accidentally exploded", adding that the blast's intensity and the weight of explosives material was yet to be ascertained. Additional Inspector-General (AIG) Iqbal Mehmood, however, ruled out the possibility of terrorism.