Gas explosion: Three children killed, four others injured

NOWSHERA:

Three children were killed and four others of a family injured in a gas explosion in Bilalabad area of Jehangira Dobandi, Nowshera early Friday morning.

Bashir Khan was woken up at around 5:45am for morning prayers by his wife, who then went to boil water. When she turned on the heater in the room where their children were sleeping, an explosion occurred and the house caught fire, said police official Jehanzeb Khan.

“Three children died on the spot, while four other family members were injured,” said the official, adding that the injured were rushed to Peshawar and later shifted to Islamabad.

Bashir Khan blamed the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) for the incident which he claimed was the result of a gas leakage. The three deceased children were identified as three-year-old Hammad, six-month-old Abdul Haq and nine-year old Haleema, while Bashir Khan’s wife Arfa and his two nieces were injured. Arfa was said to be in critical condition.

Funeral prayers for the deceased were offered in Jehangira.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 27^th, 2013.