Six family members killed, one injured in Peshawar hotel blast

Police say probable cause of explosion was gas leakage

PESHAWAR: Five members of a family were killed and two others injured in a blast inside a hotel in Bilal Town area of the city in the jurisdiction of Hashtnagri police station early Friday morning.

One injured Kamran later succumbed to his injuries in a hospital in Islamabad.

CCPO Qazi Jamil told The Express Tribune that they had not found any component of an improvised explosive device (IED) at the blast site nor any trace of explosive was found by the bomb-disposal squad.

SP City Kukab said that all deceased were member of one family. He said that the probable cause of the blast was gas leakage.

“Mehran, 23, his mother Najmina, 50, Nargis, 24, four years old Rukhmela, and Asia are among the dead,” he said, adding that they were members of a family from Hangu district.



Kamran and Amir, critically injured of burn wounds, also belonged to the same family.

Kamran also died at PIMS on Friday evening, bringing the total number of the dead to six while the seventh injured was also said to be critical.

The ill-fated family was visiting Peshawar to consult a doctor in Dabgari area of the city. Failing to find the transport to go back to their town late in the night, they booked two rooms at the hotel. All those who died in the blast were staying in room 408 on the fourth floor while the others two in a room opposite theirs.

The blast occurred around 2:30 in the morning.

Police suspected that there was a gas connection in the room and most probably the children pushed the lever while playing, which led to the death of all of them.

“The bodies were burnt completely but not damaged which normally doesn’t happens in a bomb blast. Blasts reduce the bodies to pieces,” said a police official while talking to The Express Tribune.



After the blast the entire building caught fire. Six cars were damaged when the rubble fell on them. Rescue 1122 reached the spot and controlled the situation after an hour of firefighting activity.

The two critically injured were shifted to PIMS in Islamabad for treatment.

Police cordoned off the entire area and checked all the 24 rooms in Afandi Hotel.

The late night blast caused widespread panic among local residents. Police said that they were investigating and checking the building for a possible trace of explosives. An FIR had also been registered at the local police station.