1 killed, 5 injured in hand grenade attack in Pakistan's Karachi

ISLAMABAD, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- At least one civilian was killed and five others were injured in a hand grenade attack in a busy market in Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi on Thursday, a senior police official said.

Adeel Chandio, Senior Superintendent Police in Karachi, told Xinhua that unknown assailants, riding a motorbike, hurled a hand grenade in Kharadar Market area and fled the scene after launching the attack.

The attack allegedly happened after the shopkeepers refused to pay extortion money, said the police, adding that the identities of the dead and injured were not immediately known.

Heavy contingent of police and Rangers reached the attack site and the victims were shifted to the Civil Hospital for emergency medical treatment.

Sindh Home Minister Sohail Anwar Siyal took notice of the incident and asked for a detailed inquiry report from officials to ascertain the facts related to the incident.

Grenade attacks in Karachi have fallen since Pakistani Ranger, a paramilitary law enforcement organization, launched a targeted operation against miscreants in 2013 with an aim at eliminating targeted killings, kidnappings for ransom, extortion and terrorism. Enditem