Two minors injured in gas explosion in Karachi

Five houses damaged, SSGC denies faults in its lines says investigation under way

KARACHI:

An explosion left two siblings injured and five houses in Orangi Town's Faqir Colony damaged on Tuesday.

Two minors, identified as Abdur Rehman, 8, and Sidra, 10, were injured as the roof and walls of their house collapsed due to the explosion. Residents of the other houses managed to vacate the buildings in time, while the injured siblings were rushed to a nearby hospital.

Reaching the site, the police alerted the Sui Southern Gas Company and other relevant authorities, and cordoned off the site. Rescue workers and Sindh Rangers personnel were also present at the site.

An eyewitness to the blast told The Express Tribune that panic spread on the street when the blast occurred. Smoke and dust filled the air and it felt as if time had stopped, he said.

According to Mominabad SHO Abad Gul Awan, leaked gas had filled up the sewerage line of one of the houses causing the line to explode but further investigation is underway.

The siblings sustained minor injuries and are in stable condition, the SHO said, adding that one house with a precast ceiling and two others with a cement slab ceiling were destroyed completely while the walls of the other two houses had cracked.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, an SSGC spokesperson denied that the explosion occurred due to an SSGC line bursting and maintained that the company's gas line was safe. There was a leakage in the residents' own house lines but investigation is underway, he said.

Meanwhile, SHO Awan further said that according to area residents a gas leak had persisted in the area for a long time and it had affected gas pressure in the supply to the houses. Gas shortage has prevailed in the area, the residents said, adding that when supply does resume, gas odour fills up the street.

The residents told the police that they had complained several times to the SSGC in this regard but to no avail. They believed that the blast occurred due to the leaked gas in the air.

The SHO stated that it is likely the blast occurred due to the gas leakage but the matter is being investigated from every angle. SSGC staff will be included in the investigation as well, he added.

The SSGC and other relevant authorities will submit their reports after inspecting the site and investigating the matter further.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 10^th, 2021.