Official negligence? Six killed, 15 injured in Bahawalnagar gas pipeline explosion

Several houses were razed to ground by to blast

BAHAWALNAGAR: At least six people, including a woman and three children of a family died, while 15 others were injured when a gas pipeline exploded on Circular Road in Bahawalnagar on Tuesday.

A police official told The Express Tribune the explosion occurred due to leakage in gas pipeline. He added, “The explosion was so intense that several houses were razed to the ground.”

Soon after the explosion, rescue teams reached the spot and rescued four children who were trapped under the debris. “More than 15 injured were shifted to District Headquarter Hospital, Bahawalnagar,” the official said.

The dead were identified as Munira, Beenish, 5, 12-year-old Zaheer Ahmad, Goshi, 4, Attia and an unidentified person while the injured as Afzal, Hamza, Ayesha, Naheed, Faheem Hussain, Iqra Ayub, Abdul Rehman and others.

The relatives of the victims said they had complained to Sui Northern Gas officials about the leakage of gas from the pipeline several times but they paid no heed. “They did not listen to our complaints,” Arif, a resident Circular Road said.

Meanwhile, four injured were referred to hospitals in Bahawalpur and Lahore due to critical condition. Ort

Earlier, three people were killed after a gas pipeline exploded on Sheikhupura Road. Police said the 16-inch diameter gas pipeline in front of a private hospital exploded after failing to withstand pressure owing to which buildings and a house caved in.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 15^th, 2017.