Gas explosion claims two lives

Two other family members receive severe burn injuries

RAWALPINDI:

A girl and her brother were killed while their mother sustained severe burn injuries in a gas explosion in the Waris Khan area of the garrison city on Saturday.

According to Rescue 1122, a huge ball of fire engulfed the house located in the Chah Sultan area following the explosion. As a result, two persons identified as 18-year-old Faiza and 6-year-old Muhammad Asif died while 50-year-old Farzana received critical burn injuries. Rescue 1122 teams immediately rushed to the scene and shifted them to the Holy Family Hospital (HFH).

According to the family members, the house lady couldn’t notice the gas leakage and lit a match stick which caused a powerful explosion.

Rescue 1122 further said three fire tenders, three ambulances, and special rescue vehicles participated in the operation.

Sources further said the injured were being shifted to the hospital, but two of them died on their way to the hospital.

The blaze burnt furniture and other belongings in the house to ashes.

It took firefighters thirty minutes to bring the blaze under control and stop it from spreading.

Meanwhile, the police said they had opened an investigation into the fire incident.

As per the initial inquiry, the fire incident was declared an accident but the case is being investigated further.

On the same day, police apprehended 11 outlaws from different areas of the city and recovered drugs and weapons with ammunition from their possession, a police public relations officer said.

He further said that the Islamabad capital police has intensified crackdown against the criminal elements in order to eliminate crime from the city.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 21^st, 2023.