4 blasts rock southern Pakistani city, 1 killed

At least four bomb blasts ripped through a residential area near an intelligence agency's office in Sukkur city of southern Pakistan today, killing one person and injuring about 10 others.
The blasts rocked Barrage Colony in Sukkur, Pakistan's third largest city located 500 km from the financial hub of Karachi.
Initial reports said the explosions occurred near an intelligence agency's office on Workshop Road half an hour after 'iftar', the meal that ends the daily fast in the holy month of Ramzan.
Geo News channel reported one person had died in the blasts while several others were injured.
Footage on television showed ambulances taking the injured to nearby hospitals even as gunfire could be heard in the area.

Deputy Inspector General of Police Javed Odho said some militants began firing at security forces soon after the explosions.

"The blasts took place in a compound that houses the offices of senior police officials and an intelligence agency," Odho told reporters.
Security forces and paramilitary Pakistan Rangers surrounded the colony and prevented people from approaching the area.
Another police official in Sukkur, who did not want to be named, told PTI that buildings housing key government offices had been razed by the blasts.
Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon described the blasts as unfortunate and tragic and said the Barrage Colony housed the residences of government officials, including judges.

No group claimed responsibility for the attacks.