Multan blast at eatery kills three, injures 27

Officials believe gas cylinder explosion caused incident

MULTAN: A large explosion at an eatery located in a market killed three and injured 27 others.

The blast killed Quraishi Tikka Shop owner’s three-year-old son, while also claiming the lives of Sajawal, a resident of Layyah, and one other person who has yet to be identified, stated Nishtar Medical University Vice Chancellor Dr Ahmad Ijaz Masud.

Six of the 27 people who were critically injured have been shifted to the burn unit, he added.



Initial investigations suggest a gas cylinder was the cause of the explosion. Civil Defence Officer Fatima said that it seemed as though employees at the eatery may have mishandled the gas cylinders while shifting them via a lifter. However, police called in the Bomb Disposal Squad to further investigate the blast.

Officials from the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), the Bomb Disposal Squad and police inspected the site and collected evidence to ascertain the cause of the incident.

The blast completely decimated the ground floor of the establishment, while also shattering the windowpanes on the first floor.

Later, Deputy Commissioner Mudassir Riaz Malik, CPO Munir Masud Marth, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf Vice Chairman Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Deputy Mayor Haji Saeed Ansari, former MPA Haji Javed Akhtar and other politicians visited the site.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 17^th, 2018.