In a devastating incident in the Mehwal Shah area of Kashmore district’s Kandhkot tehsil, a deadly rocket launcher explosion rocked a house, resulting in nine fatalities, including four children. The tragic incident occurred on Wednesday and left a woman injured, according to local authorities.
The house belonged to Ali Nawaz Sabzoi, and all the victims and the injured woman were part of the same family. Initial investigations suggest that children discovered what appeared to be a rocket while playing and brought it home, where the devastating explosion occurred, claiming eight lives. Law enforcement authorities have cordoned off the area and initiated further inquiries into the incident.
The incident has sparked concerns, prompting authorities to explore the circumstances that led to the rocket launcher explosion and the loss of lives. Tragic accidents involving the mishandling of explosive objects have occurred in the past, emphasizing the need for caution and awareness.
Reportedly, Kashmore-Kandhkot Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rohail Khoso confirmed the heartbreaking loss of lives, indicating that the victims included five children, two women, and two men. The injured woman was promptly transferred to a hospital in Larkana, while the deceased were brought to the Kandhkot Civil Hospital.
Past incidents
The incident highlights the long persisting problem of easy general public’s easy access to dangerous explosives and weaponry. Some of the distressing incidents from recent years include:
- April 2023: A shepherd lost his life in Chaman when a hand grenade he discovered detonated as he began playing with it.
- January 2023: Merely two days before the Kashmore incident, three children tragically perished in an explosion within an abandoned compound in the same region, where they were playing with an object they had stumbled upon.
- January 2022: Two children met a grim fate when a grenade they were handling exploded, causing severe injuries to another.
- June 2021: Quetta witnessed a heartbreaking event where three teenagers lost their lives while playing with a hand grenade, having mistakenly believed it to be a harmless toy.
- January 2021: Peshawar experienced a similar tragedy when three brothers were killed, and two others sustained injuries after a grenade they found in the fields detonated during play.
- January 2019: In Balochistan’s Washuk district, three children were killed, and one was injured as they innocently played with an unexploded grenade they had discovered.
- April 2013: Buner District witnessed a devastating incident where a toy bomb exploded, claiming the lives of two children and a woman. The explosion occurred when they were handling a rocket-like shell they had found.
- April 2013: South Waziristan’s Wana area was shaken by an incident where at least two individuals were injured during a political gathering when an unidentified rocket landed abruptly.