ISLAMABAD: Three women suffocated because of a gas leak from a geyser at their home in the Pakistani garrison city of Rawalpindi, police said on Tuesday.

The incident occurred inside the victims’ house located in Bahria Town Phase-7, according to Sub-inspector Imtiaz Nazir. Another woman was found unconscious at the scene.

“A 16-year-old girl was also affected and has been shifted to a hospital in critical condition, where she remains on a ventilator,” Nazir told Arab News.

“Investigation into the incident is underway, but initial findings indicate that the fatalities were caused by suffocation.”

Gas leaks and related accidents are a recurring hazard in Pakistan during the winter season, often resulting in explosions, fires and cases of asphyxiation that cause injuries and loss of life.

The risk tends to increase as households rely heavily on gas heaters, geysers, cylinders and stoves in poorly ventilated spaces.

Last week, a bride and a groom among eight people were killed because of a gas cylinder explosion in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, an official said. At least five people were killed in Pakistan’s southern Larkana city in a similar explosion in Dec., authorities said.