Deadly explosion hits busy road (VIDEOS)

An explosion in a Karachi neighborhood has killed at least one person and injured 13

One person is dead and 13 injured following an explosion in the bustling neighborhood of Saddar in the Pakistani city of Karachi on Thursday. The blast in the country's largest city was caused by an improvised explosive device (IED) planted in a motorcycle on the busy Dr Daud Pota Road, Deputy Inspector General South Sharjeel Kharal told local media.

#UPDATE: CCTV footage of #KarachiBlast ,At least one person dead and several others injured in an explosion in #Karachi’s Saddar area, 4 injured in critical condition#Pakistan pic.twitter.com/QaXeLdJilH

— Ghulam Abbas Shah (@ghulamabbasshah) May 12, 2022

Video footage from the scene posted to social media shows a sudden flash followed by billowing smoke as bystanders flee the area. Other clips show multiple wrecked cars and motorcycles and snarled traffic as emergency vehicles attempt to penetrate the chaotic scene.

#BreakingNews Blast in Karachi in Saddar Area, Several Cars Damaged while Casualties Increasing ????#BLA #MajeedBrigade #Karachi #KarachiBlast #Terrorism #TTP pic.twitter.com/oRJEmERAJ0

— Hira Views Official (@Hiraviews) May 12, 2022

Gran explosión en el área de Saddar de #Karachi en #Pakistán, varios vehículos destruidos, policía en la escena.#KarachiBlast #karachiuniversityblast pic.twitter.com/euYGHKuvHB

— AUSTROHÚNGARO (@AUSTROHNGARO2) May 12, 2022

Another source told local media the IED planted in the motorcycle was detonated remotely. A government vehicle was said to be passing through at the time of the blast.

Karachi’s public hospitals have had an emergency declared, and one hospital reportedly has four individuals in serious condition with injuries caused by ball bearings. 

READ MORE: 'Something is rotten in the state of Pakistan': How Islamabad's stance shapes the region

A bomb disposal team has been called to the area, and the police’s counter-terrorism department is reportedly at the scene.