Petrol bottle : Three die as fire breaks out in room of house

Family members were sitting around coal stove; IDP injured

BANNU: At least three people were killed and four others were wounded in separate fires in Bannu.

An official of Janikhel police station told journalists on Sunday Sher Daud, a rickshaw driver, and his family were sitting around a coal stove when the incident occurred.

“A bottle filled with petrol fell into the stove and the entire room was engulfed in flames,” he said.

According to the police official, Daud, his mother Taza Bibi, his wife and 18-year-old son were injured while two of his children - 10-month-old Sajid and four-year-old Sahiba - died on the spot.

“Locals managed to rescue them from the room,” the official said. “All the injured were taken to the hospital. Taza Bibi succumbed to her injuries on the way to the hospital.”

The official added doctors at the hospital referred Daud and his wife - who were critically injured - to Peshawar.

On the other hand, a man was injured when fire erupted at an IDP camp in Domail.

“The fire broke out mysteriously at a camp in Jangi Kala, Pirbakhel when people were asleep,” said a Bannu district official. “The inferno affected six tents in which around eight families from North Waziristan Agency lived.”

The official added the fire injured Naqeebur Rehman and destroyed the valuables of a large number of IDPs. Following the incident, officials of the district administration arrived on the scene and directed the disaster management authorities to carry out a detailed assessment of losses. The officials said they will provide all possible assistance to the displaced population.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 7^th,  2015.