At least nine people, including three children, were injured when a sewerage line passing underneath an eatery exploded in Karachi's Korangi area, police said on Friday.

People were having tea sitting on charpoys and chairs in the hotel on Thursday when the explosion occurred due to the "accumulation of gases" in the sewerage line.

Police have arrested the two owners of the hotel, which was constructed illegally on the sewerage line.

"Nine people, including three children, were injured in the explosion. The building was built illegally on the sewerage line," a police official said.

A similar incident took place in Karachi on December 18, 2021, when a sewage drain on which a private bank branch was constructed exploded, killing 17 people.