Pakistan police rules out terrorism in CTD police station blasts

Islamabad, April 25

The primary reason behind the explosions that killed at least 16 people at a Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) police station in Pakistan's Swat region was a short circuit in the ammunition depot, a police report said.

At least 12 policemen were killed in explosions that rocked the CTD precinct in Swat's Kabal on Monday, The News reported.

The casualties rose to 16 as some of the injured succumbed to their wounds, the police confirmed on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, more than 40 people are currently undergoing treatment, with 10 of them in critical condition.

In the preliminary investigation report, the police claimed that there was "no evidence of an attack from outside" in the incident, The News reported.

"There is a high possibility that the blast was caused by a short circuit as fire erupted in the armoury (a place where weapons are kept)," the police report stated.

CTD DIG Khalid Sohail during a media talk said that the ammunition caught fire due to negligence.

He revealed that the incident took place in the old office of the CTD, The News reported.

He also ruled out the possibility that the explosions were suicide attacks or other acts of terrorism.

"There was a store where we had a huge quantity of weapons, and until now we believe that there might have been some blast in it due to some carelessness," he said.

Sohail said the shock waves caused "the complete collapse of the building", The News reported.

Meanwhile, the work of removing the debris is underway as nearby buildings, including mosques, houses, school walls and roofs also collapsed due to the explosion.

The hospital administration said that 10 out of the 40 people injured are in critical condition.