ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Nov. 11 (UPI) -- At least 18 people died late Thursday in an armed attack on a police building in the secured "red zone" in Karachi, Pakistan's major port, officials said.
Investigators said at least six gunmen began shooting outside the criminal investigation building, The Washington Post reported. Seconds later, a truck bomb exploded, leveling much of the building.
The red zone, a neighborhood where security is tight, is home to several major government buildings, the U.S. consulate and luxury hotels. The bombing left a 40-foot crater at the site.
"We are in a war situation," Sharmeela Farooqi, an aide to the chief minister of Sindh province, told Express 24/7 News. "Everybody is extremely vulnerable, whether it is in the cities or whether it is on the border in the tribal areas".
Zulfiqar Mirza, home minister for the province, said at least 100 people were injured by the bombing. He said as many as 350 people may have been inside, and the toll of dead and injured was expected to rise.
Provincial Police Chief Salahuddin Babar Khatta, told reporters no suspected terrorists were in the building at the time of the explosion, discounting speculation the attack was aimed at freeing detainees.
UPI
