ISLAMABAD: At least seven people were killed, and 14 others were injured on Saturday after a gas cylinder installed in a vehicle exploded in Pakistan’s eastern province of Punjab, the Rescue 1122 service said.
The explosion occurred in a passenger vehicle early Saturday and rescue teams, along with nine ambulances, one rescue vehicle, and three fire tenders, immediately rushed to the site, according to Rescue 1122.
The incident took place in the Bhalwal town of Sargodha district. Seven people lost their lives on the spot, while the injured were whisked to a nearby hospital for treatment.
“Seven people were dead on site and 14 were injured when a liquified petroleum gas (LPG) cylinder in a vehicle exploded outside the Commerce College Kotmomin Road in Tehsil Bhalwal,” the rescue service said in a statement.
“Seven of the total injured were shifted to the Bhalwal Tehsil Headquarters (THQ) Hospital in critical condition, while five bodies, which could not be identified due to severe burns, were also transported to the same hospital.”
Four of the injured were later referred to Allied Hospital in Faisalabad due to a lack of facilities to treat burns in Sargodha and Bhalwal hospitals, according to the statement.
Explosions caused by faulty gas cylinders — which are used for cooking as well as in cars — are common in Pakistan. Last month, five people lost their lives in separate incidents involving the explosion of gas cylinders in Pakistan.
