Seven die as gas blast flattens building

10 others also injured as cylinder explodes in hotel on GT Road in Jhelum

JHELUM:

At least five people were killed and 10 others injured when a gas cylinder explosion flattened a three-storey building on the Grand Trunk Road in Jhelum, rescuers and district administration officials said on Sunday.

Jhelum Deputy Commissioner (DC) Samiullah Farooq confirmed the casualties in his media talk.

The police said that District Police Officer (DPO) Nasir Mehmood Bajwa was supervising the rescue operation at the site.

The gas cylinder exploded in the kitchen of Sikandar Hotel on the main GT Road in the morning. According to Rescue 1122 officials, some 30 people were inside the dining hall having breakfast when the tragedy struck.

“The intensity of the blast was so severe that the building of the hotel collapsed,” a rescuer said. “People were screaming for help from under the debris. Heavy machinery was used to remove the debris to recover the people buried underneath,” he added.

According to the officials, five bodies were recovered and at least 10 injured rescued from under the debris, who were taken to the Jhelum District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital. “An emergency has been declared at the DHQ Hospital in Jhelum,” a medic said.

DPO Bajwa and DC Farooq reviewed the relief operations at the scene of the incident. The local police said on Twitter that they were actively participating in relief activities under the supervision of the DPO.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed deep grief and sorrow over the death of five people. In a statement, the prime minister commiserated with the bereaved families and prayed for eternal peace of the deceased. He wished speedy recovery to the injured.

The Jhelum incident was the second gas cylinder explosion in the province in 24 hours. Earlier, seven people died and 14 others were injured in a cylinder blast in a vehicle in Sargodha district’s Bhalwal tehsil on Saturday.

According to a statement issued by Rescue 1122, the blast occurred near the Government College of Commerce at 8:35am. They said that the leaking LPG from the cylinder also caught fire.

According to the statement, the bodies and seven critically injured were rushed to the Bhalwal Tehsil Headquarters (THQ) Hospital. Last month, at least three separate gas cylinder explosions were reported from across the country, killing five people.

(WITH INPUT FROM AGENCIES)