Public transport: 3 killed, 12 injured in CNG cylinder blast

Van driver flees, assistant arrested.

BAHAWALPUR:

Three people were killed in Muzaffargarh on Monday when a CNG cylinder installed in a passenger van exploded. Twelve others were injured and taken to the rural health centre and the district headquarters hospital, where six of them were reported to be in critical condition.

Rescue officials said the van was headed to Jhang from Dera Ghazi Khan when it caught fire near Chowk Qureshi. The fire caused an explosion in the CNG cylinder, which, they speculated was leaking.

They said the fire was probably caused by a spark from the engine.

They quoted witnesses as saying that most of the passengers jumped out, but three of them got stuck and died before they could be pulled out.

They were identified as Mumtaz Nasira and her children Yasir, 5, and three-months-old Wasif.



Twelve people were injured and taken to the rural health centre.

Doctors treating them said that the condition of six was critical. They were identified as Khizr Hayat, Muhammad Qurban, Ghulam Muhammad, Muhammad Naeem, Kundan Mai and Mumtaz Nasira’s son Sajjad Haider.

Doctors said they had 50 to 60 per cent burns. They were later sent to the district headquarters hospital, from where Haider was referred to Nishtar Hospital in Multan.

Police said the CNG cylinder was installed under the last row of passengers’ seat. They said a case had been registered against the van driver, Ghulam Mustafa, and his assistant Hazoor Bukhsh. Bukhsh has been arrested, but Mustafa has fled.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 17^th, 2013.