Explosion triggered by gas leakage injures family of five in Karachi

Man forgot to turn off valve during gas supply outage New Golimar neighbourhood

KARACHI:

A couple and their three children suffered burn injuries due to explosion triggered by gas leakage at their single room apartment in the New Golimar area in Karachi on Wednesday morning.

According to family members, the gas supply went out at night when Waseem Yousuf was preparing to cook food for supply in a local market. However, when there was no flame, he went to bed forgetting to close the gas valve.

Later in the early hours of Wednesday when the gas supply resumed, the highly-flammable fumes accumulated in the small apartment.

At around 7:30am, he got up to complete the food supply order, but just as he lit the match there was a huge ball of fire that engulfed the family of five leaving them severely burnt.

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Police, bomb disposal squad, rescue workers and neighbours rushed to the apartment to shift Waseem Yousuf, 45, his wife, Umbreen, 35, and three children, Sami, 6, Umme Habiba, 8, and Rubab 10 to Dr Ruth KM Pfau Civil Hospital Burns Ward.

Bomb Disposal Squad Officer Abid said windows of the single-room apartment were open allowing gas to escape otherwise the impact of the explosion would have been much greater.