Inferno: Hostel fire injures 32 students

ABBOTTABAD: At least 15 girls were injured when a fire engulfed a girl’s hostel in Abbottabad on Tuesday. The officials said that six of the injured girls were in critical condition. According to Rescue 112 officials, the fire erupted in one of the rooms of Girls Post Graduate College No 2 due to an as yet unidentified reason before quickly spreading to two neighboring rooms, setting the furniture and other belongings ablaze. Two girls suffered burn injuries while 13 others were injured. The billowing smoke sparked panic among nearly 200 girls living at the hostel as they tried to rush out of the building. Many girls fainted due to the smoke. The rescue services provided first aid to those with minor injuries and shifted those with critical injuries to the Ayub Teaching Hospital.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 28^th, 2016.