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At least one woman was killed and 94 people were injured, including 17 children, after celebratory gunfire erupted across Karachi during Pakistan’s Independence Day festivities, rescue authorities said Friday.
An Edhi Foundation spokesperson said the casualties included 10 women, 17 children and 59 men. The victims were injured as people fired shots into the air in several parts of the city to mark the national day.
The injured were taken to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Civil Hospital and Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for treatment. Hospital authorities reported that 24 injured people were treated at Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, 35 at Jinnah Hospital and 26 at the trauma centre of Civil Hospital.
Reports of aerial firing came from several areas, including Liaquat, Saddar, Korangi, Malir, Azizabad, North Nazimabad, Nazimabad, Gulbahar, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Orangi Town, Jamshed Quarters and Defence.
Police have arrested more than 30 suspects from Karachi’s East, West and Central districts over allegations of celebratory firing.
Authorities had repeatedly warned residents against firing into the air during Independence Day celebrations, stressing that bullets fired skyward can eventually fall back to the ground and seriously injure or kill people.
Such incidents are not new in Karachi. In 2025, celebratory aerial firing left three people dead and at least 75 injured, while similar incidents in 2024 injured around 95 people.
