Gas pipeline blast causes house collapse in Federal B Area

KARACHI:

A gas pipeline blast caused the front portion of a house to collapse in Federal B area on Friday. The neighbours extinguished the fire and rescued the house owner, Arshad, from the debris. He was then shifted to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for medical treatment.

After being notified of the incident, police and rescue workers immediately arrived at the scene. According to the rescue workers, the blast caused the ground and half of the first floor of the house to collapse.

The neighbours informed the police that Arshad is a US national, lives alone in the house, while his wife and children reside in the USA. They also stated that he had rented out the upper two floors of the house.

The police called in the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) to investigate the nature of the blast. However, the BDS officer reported that there was no evidence of terrorism or a cylinder blast. Instead, the explosion was caused by pressure in the gas pipe in the back lane of the affected house.

Fortunately, the two families living on the upper floors were unharmed, and Arshad's condition is reported to be out of danger.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 25^th, 2023.