At least one person was killed and nearly 50 were injured in a series of six bomb blasts in the Pakistani port city of Karachi on Monday, a day after a deadly suicide bombing claimed 21 lives in the federal capital.

The explosions, which occurred in busy commercial and residential areas, caused widespread panic in the bustling city of about 16 million people.

Karachi police chief Waseem Ahmed said the attacks were carried out to create “fear and tension in the city”.

“These series of blasts in Karachi were of low intensity and they have not caused any damage to property,” Ahmed told Dawn News channel. Police and paramilitary Pakistan Rangers were deployed across the city and an emergency was declared in hospitals.

State-run PTV reported that one person was killed in a blast at Qasba Colony. Fifteen children were among the injured, TV news channels reported.

Earlier reports said two persons were killed in the blasts.

The explosions occurred within the space of an hour at Orangi Town, Banaras Chowk, Pahargunj, Shahrah-e-Noor Jehan, Qasba Colony and Mangho Pir, the channels reported.

At some locations, the bombs were hidden in vehicles, including a mini-bus and a motorcycle. At Banaras Chowk, a bomb was hidden in a junk market. A policeman was injured in the blast in Mangho Pir, where the annual pilgrimage at a Muslim shrine had begun on Sunday.

Ambulances of different rescue services rushed to the blast sites and took the injured to different hospitals. The explosions caused traffic jams in several parts of Karachi. At some places, enraged people took to the streets and started pelting stones at vehicles. There were also reports of protestors firing in the air at some places. There were also unconfirmed reports of a seventh blast at Pak Colony.

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