KARACHI: The Shershah drain blast death toll rose to 17 on Sunday when rescue workers retrieved two more bodies from under the rubble, while police booked for murder the building owner and those responsible for covering the drain with concrete to raise the illegal structure that had collapsed a day ago.

According to officials, the deceased spotted in the early hours of Sunday were identified as Sardar, cashier of the bank branch whosefloor caved in, and Mohammad Ali.

The explosion, which was caused by accumulation of gases in the underground sewer, left nearly three dozen men including bank employees and customers buried under the debris in the drain where heavy machinery was employed to rescue survivors and retrieve bodies. One of the deceased was father of a ruling party lawmaker, Dilawar Khan, who owned a nearby showroom. In all, 11 lives were saved by rescue organisations and doctors.

An area police officer said the Site-B police registered an FIR (449/2021) against the suspects responsible for constructing the building and its owner under several charges, including manslaughter, on behalf of the state. He said two bodies were recovered on Sunday at around 1:30am from under the debris, taking the death toll to 17.

According to the FIR, the blast took place at around 1:45pm on Saturday `near` Habib Bank Ltd, adjacent to PSO petrol pump, located on Estate Avenue Road, Site, at Shershah Chowk.

Contingents of police rushed to the spot and saw the debris of the bank floor, walls and an office behind the bank in the drain.

Police called the bomb disposal squad and crime scene unit, E dhi and Chhipa and other rescue teams, which removed the debris and shifted the dead and the injured to Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital.

Led by Inspector Mohammed Amir, the bomb disposal squad examined the place, collected samples and submitted their report to the complainant, said SHO Inspector Zawar Husain. `The BDS team in their report stated that the blast occurred due to exiting of gases from sewerage line beneath the building housing the bank and another office,` the FIR mentioned.

The building was constructed by encroaching on the sewerage nullah.

Therefore, the `responsible persons involved in the construction and the owner of the building` have committed crimes under Sections 322 (gatl-bis-sabab), 337-H (causing hurt by rash or negligent act), 337-I (causing hurt by mistake), 427 (mischief causing damage) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code.