As armed men storm the Karachi police station, explosions can be heard

Multiple explosions and firing were heard as armed men stormed a police station in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi on Friday, a venue of the country’s largest cricket tournament, officials said.

Police snipers took up positions near the station. There were no immediate reports of deaths.

“Can’t exactly tell how many terrorists have entered but there are at least more than five,” Deputy Inspector General Irfan Baloch told Reuters.

The station houses offices of the city’s most senior police. Baloch said there could have been up to 30 police at the station at the time of the attack.

Overseas cricket players are competing in the Pakistan Super League, and Karachi is one of three host cities. There is a game scheduled for Saturday.

The police station is located along the route to the stadium and the hotel is a few kilometres away.

Top teams shunned Pakistan for years after six policemen and two civilians were killed in a 2009 attack on a bus carrying the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore.

Police sealed off traffic on the main thoroughfare through the city and heavy contingents of security forces, including paramilitary soldiers, had arrived at the scene.

Media reported that there were between eight and 10 assailants. Murtaza Wahab, a spokesman for the Sindh provincial government, confirmed the attack but could not provide details.

(Reporting by Ariba Shahid in Karachi and Gibran Peshimam in Islamabad; Editing by Toby Chopra and Nick Macfie)