25 killed, hundreds injured in cylinder explosions

Lahore tops the list as unsafe cylinders trigger 488 accidents

LAHORE:

At least 25 people were killed and more than 240 others, including women and children, seriously injured in LPG cylinder explosions and fire incidents across Punjab, while dozens were left with permanent disabilities during 2025.

The statistics obtained by Express News from the LPG Distributors Association show that a total of 488 LPG-related accidents were reported across the province.

Of these, 286 people were injured, 44 of whom were discharged after receiving medical treatment.

Lahore recorded the highest number of incidents, with 170 explosions and fires, followed by Faisalabad with 50, Rawalpindi with 38, and Gujranwala with 25.

In contrast, Hafizabad and Lodhran emerged as the safest districts, reporting no LPG cylinder accidents.

Other districts also saw multiple incidents. Multan reported 18 accidents with eight injuries, while Sargodha and Sheikhupura each recorded 19 incidents, injuring 23 and 29 people respectively, and claiming eight lives. Gujranwala saw seven people injured in 25 incidents. Bahawalnagar had 16 accidents with 10 injured, while Bahawalpur and Gujrat each reported 12 incidents, resulting in three injuries apiece, with one fatality in Gujrat.

Smaller numbers of accidents were reported in Attock, Chakwal, Chiniot, Dera Ghazi Khan, Muzaffargarh, Murree, Mianwali, Toba Tek Singh, Vehari, Mandi Bahauddin, Jhang, Jhelum, Kasur, Rahim Yar Khan and Rajanpur, with varying numbers of injuries.

In some districts, fires were brought under control before causing casualties.

According to the LPG Distributors Association, most of the accidents occurred due to the use of substandard and poor-quality cylinders. With the help of the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA), crackdowns were carried out in Lahore, Sheikhupura, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Gujrat and Multan against manufacturers of unsafe cylinders.

OGRA Director Media Affairs Imran Ghaznavi said that operations against illegal and unsafe LPG cylinder manufacturers and sellers were ongoing. "Action is taken immediately wherever complaints are received. We also work in coordination with provincial departments during enforcement operations," he said.