Three women found dead inside home in Karachi's Gulshan-e-Iqbal

KARACHI: Three women were found dead inside a house in Gulshan-e-Iqbal's Block 1 area of the metropolis on Sunday, according to police and rescue officials.

One man was also found in an unconscious condition, said the rescue officials.

In a statement, police said initial observations suggested the deaths occurred due to suffocation caused by a suspected gas leak. However, an investigation into the matter was underway.

Meanwhile, the SSP East, in a statement, said that the deceased women were mother, daughter, and daughter-in-law. The police official noted that the family’s young son alerted police to the incident.

The SSP said that, prima facie, the women appeared to have died after consuming a toxic substance, but no conclusive evidence has been recovered so far to determine the exact cause.

He added that the head of the household was also present but his mental state was "not stable at the moment", making initial questioning difficult.

Police said the actual cause of death would be established after post-mortem examinations. The family had shifted to Gulshan-e-Iqbal from Ranchor Line a few months ago.

Sindh Home Minister Zia Lanjar took notice of the incident, directing Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) East District to conduct a transparent investigation into the matter.

Last month, an explosion that erupted due to gas leakage left a woman severely wounded in Karachi’s Korangi No 6. Subsequently, she succumbed to burn injuries in the hospital.

Later in November, a similar incident was witnessed in Karachi’s Ranchore Line area, where a match lit caused a blast in a residential flat.

The police had said the couple and their two daughters sustained injuries in the explosion that occurred due to the gas leakage. The victims were shifted to the hospital.