Compressor blast: Three generations lost in one explosion

The compressor filled with gas exploded when the scrap dealer tried to melt it.

KARACHI: A scrap dealer, his son and grandson died when a refrigerator compressor exploded inside their house in Clifton’s Shah Rasul Colony on Sunday. Three children were also wounded in the incident.

The law enforcers have ruled out that this was a terrorist activity and concluded that the explosion took place accidentally when the scrap dealer was working as per routine.

At 12:45pm on Sunday, 45-year-old Ghulam Haider was trying to melt a refrigerator compressor by heating it with a gas cylinder inside their small house in Shah Rasul Colony, said the deceased scrap dealer’s daughter-in-law. This caused an explosion and, as a result, Haider, his 18-year-old son Shahid and grandson Sagheer died.

The explosion created panic in the neighbourhood and a large number of policemen and Rangers personnel cordoned off the area, believing it to be a terrorist activity. Several fire trucks were also called in but the explosion did not cause a fire. Several neighbours also gathered outside the house to participate in the rescue work but they ended up creating hurdles for the professionals.

The ambulances from various welfare associations reached the house and moved the victims to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for autopsy. The three injured children were also taken to Jinnah hospital for treatment. “Three people were brought to the hospital and they had died already,” said the joint executive director of Jinnah hospital, Dr Seemin Jamali. “The injured were shifted to the children’s hospital for further treatment after we provided them with first-aid.”

The bomb disposal squad officials also ruled out the possibility of a terrorist activity. “He [Haider] used to melt scrap material inside his house,” said ASP Ibadat Nisar. “The refrigerator’s compressor was filled with gas so it exploded with a loud bang when he tried to melt it.” The officer said there was no need to register a case as it was an accident.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 18^th, 2013.