Faulty CNG cylinders: Six dead, 10 injured in fire

The van overturned trying to avoid a pedestrian and caught fire due to a CNG leak.


Express December 21, 2011

GUJRANWALA/MULTAN:


Six people burned to death and 10 suffered injuries as a van overturned and caught fire due to a CNG leak in Aimanabad on Wednesday.   


The injured were taken to Gujranwala district headquarters (DHQ) hospital where doctors described the condition of six as critical. Medical Superintendent Dr Zafar Iqbal said two of the six had severe burns and needed to be treated at a burn unit at the DHQ hospital did not have. He said they were considering sending them either to a hospital in Lahore or to the Combined Military Hospital in Kharian Cantonment. Eight of the injured were identified by the hospital as Nazim, Abid, Irfan, Nawaz, Bubbly, Razia, Sadiq, Shabana, and Jamil.

Rescue 1122 officials quoted eyewitnesses as saying that the van had overturned in trying to go around a teenager crossing the road. They said the van was headed towards Lahore. An FIR has been registered against driver Alauddin at Aimanabad police station under Section 322 of the Pakistan Penal Code.

Crackdown against faulty equipment

Compressed natural gas cylinders of over 300 public transport vehicles have been removed by district administrations in three southern districts of the province in a crackdown launched in the wake of fatal accidents involving substandard CNG kits.

In Multan, CNG cylinders of 155 vehicles were found to be substandard and removed. Khanewal administration removed the equipment from 69 vehicles and Dera Ghazi Khan administration from 80.

The district coordination officers have been directed by the provincial government to carry out the drive in coordination with the Regional Transport Authority.

Khanewal DCO Rashid Mehmood said inspection pickets had been set up at all entrances of the city as well as at major squares. He said CNG cylinders were being removed from vehicles after a thorough examination by RTA teams deployed at these points.

Dera Ghazi Khan DCO Iftikahr Ali Sahu said besides removing faulty equipment the administration was also talking with the transporters about the importance of maintaining their vehicles in good shape. “They have been told that there is no way they will be allowed to neglect public safety,” he said.

Talking to The Express Tribune, several people who frequently use public transport praised the move. They said public transport vehicles were the only way they could commute between homes in villages and jobs in the cities.

DG Khan RTA secretary Mehr Azizur Rehman said a proposal to set up a facility in every district for free examination of transport vehicles was under consideration.

Jhang RTA secretary Muhammad Kaleem said they had yet to set up inspection points. He said they had given 15 days, starting December 19, to the transporters to get their CNG equipment certified by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority.

City                                              CNG kits removed

Multan                              155

Khanewal                         69

Dera Ghazi Khan             80

With additional reporting by Owais Jaffery.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 22nd, 2011.

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