Karachi (IANS): At least 40 people have been killed in rioting that started late Saturday in the port city of Pakistan, Online news agency reported on Tuesday.

Five bodies were recovered by the police late Monday in the Raees Amrohvi colony of the city, media reports said, adding that unidentified miscreants set a number of houses on fire in the locality.

Sounds of sporadic gunfire were heard late in the night in the colony and the adjacent areas, reports said.

Residents of Orangi, the worst-affected area, staged protests against the killings and demanded more police contingents in their area.

The provincial government of Sindh Monday reissued shoot-at-sight order following escalation of ethnic riot in the city.

Political tensions between Urdu-speaking Muttahida Qaumi Movement and Pashtuns from the North West Frontier Province who have settled in Karachi for jobs have led to clashes in the past.