Child killed in junkyard explosion

MULTAN:

A 10-year-old child was killed and three others were injured in an explosion in a scrap yard located in Tawakal Town on Sunday.

Upon receiving information of the incident, police contingents and security agencies reached the spot. The child’s body was shifted to a hospital for post-mortem, while the injured were shifted to Nishtar Hospital for treatment.

Security agencies have collected evidence from the crime scene and have started investigating where the explosives were brought from.

A named Muhammad Ali owns a junkyard in Tawakal Town, where he also takes residence. Police said the 10-year-old son of Ahmar Ali took a toy-like object out of a pile of junk and started playing with it.

The item contained explosive materials that detonated in the child's hand, blowing off his arm and head. The child was killed instantly, while his father Ali, uncle Arif and sister Mahnoor were also injured.

Sources claimed that the object the child was playing with was a hand grenade. However, police officials have not confirmed the presence of hand grenades at the scene.

According to the police, an investigation is ongoing into every aspect of the matter. After collecting the evidence from the crime scene, the police and security agencies have sealed it completely. Further investigations are underway.

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On the other hand, the explosion drew a large number of local residents to the spot. The blast, which was heard throughout the entire area, also spread panic.

Earlier, in June, five people were killed and three injured in an explosion inside a house in Kot Addu.

The incident was reported in the Daira Deen Panah area of Kot Addu.

The bodies of the deceased and those injured were shifted to a nearby hospital.

A police spokesperson said that the blast took place in a home-built junk shop. He added that security agencies were at the spot to ascertain the nature of the blast.

The spokesperson stated that the deceased were identified as Muhammad Iqbal, Muhammad Bilal, Haseena Mai, Shanu Mai and Sadia Bibi.

Inspector General of Punjab Police Dr Usman Anwar took notice of the blast and asked for a report from the police officers. The IG warned of strict legal action, to be taken after ascertaining the facts of the incident.

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Earlier, in a separate incident in Rawalpindi, a teenage boy lost his life while eight others, including women and children, sustained injuries as a result of a powerful gas cylinder blast that ripped through a two-storied residential building in the Peoples Colony area.

Earlier this week, the owner of a workshop in Kot Addu was killed when an oil tanker exploded during welding.

The tanker driver and other mechanics were shifted to hospital with serious injuries.

Mohammad Atiq Thahim, a resident of Mouza Lal Mir, owns a welding shop at Taunsa Mor and was welding the diesel tank of a truck.

There was a sudden and loud explosion due to the tank filling up with flammable with gas. Thahim was killed on the spot.

Meanwhile, truck driver Abdul Latif Chandia and two mechanics, 20-year-old Tanveer, 14-year-old Ali Hassan were seriously injured. After receiving information about the incident, a rescue team reached the spot and shifted the victims to hospital. Police started investigating the incident.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 11^th, 2023.