KARACHI: At least nine people were killed and 18 others injured after violence erupted during clashes between police and demonstrators protesting US and Israeli strikes that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei outside the US Consulate in Karachi on Sunday, hospital officials confirmed.

According to the Edhi Foundation ambulance service, six bodies and 10 injured persons were initially shifted from MT Khan Road to Civil Hospital Karachi. Officials at the hospital’s trauma centre later confirmed that seven bodies had been brought to the facility along with 18 injured individuals.

Hospital authorities said the victims sustained injuries due to firing, baton charge and stampede during the unrest. Head of the Trauma Centre, Dr Sabir Memon, said eight bodies had been received while 20 injured individuals were under treatment. Later, one injured person succumbed to injuries, raising the death toll to nine.

Protesters had gathered outside the US Consulate and attempted to move towards the premises, pelting stones. Police resorted to shelling and force to disperse the crowd, triggering chaos in the area.

Traffic movement remained severely affected as authorities closed the road from Sultanabad leading towards Mai Kolachi, causing heavy congestion. According to Karachi traffic police, vehicles coming from Jinnah Bridge were diverted towards II Chundrigar Road, traffic from Boat Basin was given a U-turn at Mai Kolachi Phatak, and vehicles from PIDC were sent back.

Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar sought a detailed report from the Additional IG Karachi. In a statement, Lanjar said no one would be allowed to take the law into their own hands and directed authorities to strengthen security at sensitive installations across the province.

Separately in Islamabad, all roads leading to the Red Zone, which houses diplomatic missions and parliament, were blocked for traffic and public movement, police said. The district administration imposed Section 144, banning all types of public gatherings.

The Islamabad administration warned that any form of assembly would be deemed illegal under Section 144 and advised citizens to refrain from participating in protests, demonstrations or gatherings. It cautioned that strict legal action would be taken against violators.

In Lahore, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the US Consulate, but no violence was reported. An eyewitness told Reuters that some protesters attempted to damage a security gate located hundreds of yards away from the consulate; however, police stopped them without using force.

Meanwhile, pro-Iranian demonstrators also gathered outside the Green Zone in Baghdad, where the US Embassy is located, as tensions continued to rise across the region.