Accident: Five construction workers injured while carrying explosives

UPPER DIR: Five construction workers were injured when a vehicle carrying explosives for rock blasting detonated in Sheringal, Upper Dir district on Thursday afternoon.

The construction workers were travelling in a pick-up when the dynamite went off in Daru, destroying the vehicle and injuring the occupants severely, said Sheringal police official Sher Ali Khan.

The official added the incident occurred at 1.25pm.The patrolling police heard a blast at a distance after which they informed the police station.

“At first we presumed it was an improvised explosive device, however, investigations revealed the explosion occurred inside the vehicle.”

The injured driver told police they were carrying dynamite, which detonated.



Sheringal Rural Health centre paramedical staff in charge in emergency, Abdullah said the injured, identified as Zeeshan, Fayaz, Muhammad Suleman, Ghafar and Hayat Khan, were administered first aid and then shifted to Timergara Headquarters Hospital of Lower Dir.

“They had received burn injuries from the explosion and were stable but due to lack of medicines, we could not admit them here,” said the in charge.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 31^st, 2013.