Celebrations for Pakistan’s Independence Day turned tragic in Karachi. According to reports, on the night of 13-14 August 2026, celebratory aerial firing killed at least two people and injured 94 others across the city.
Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed confirmed that the injured were taken to major hospitals. Seventeen patients reached Civil Hospital, 24 went to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, and 53 were treated at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre. Among the dead were a man from PIB Colony and an infant. A woman also died after being hit by a bullet; police described the case as accidental firing.
Rescue groups such as Edhi earlier reported around 86 injured people, including women and children. Firing was heard in many neighbourhoods, including Lyari, Saddar, Korangi, Malir, Azizabad, North Nazimabad, Nazimabad, Gulbahar, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Orangi Town, Jamshed Quarters and Defence.
Police launched a crackdown and arrested several suspects while recovering weapons. Aerial firing remains a serious and repeated danger during festivals in Karachi. Bullets fired into the air fall back and can strike anyone, often with fatal results.
