Two children killed, mother injured in fireworks explosion

Roof of house comes down as stack of fireworks catches fire.

FAISALABAD:

Two children were killed on Friday and their mother severely burned when a stack of fireworks exploded at a house in Dalowal. The explosion also resulted in the roof of the house to collapse.

Dijkot police said that a heavy quantity of fireworks had been stocked at a house in Chak 248-RB. They said on Friday there was an explosion in the room, followed by a fire.

Residents said the fireworks went off one by one as if someone was firing shots in the air. They said before they could go inside to rescue the woman and her children, the roof of the house came down.

Rescue 1122 officials were called. The woman, Nadia Bibi, and her children- five-year-old Asad Ali and seven-year-old Kiran Shehzadi- were pulled out and taken to a hospital. Both the children succumbed to their injuries, while the woman was said to be in critical condition.

Police were also called and the house was sealed. The station house officer said an investigation had begun. The fire was put out in two hours. Rescue officials said it had apparently been started by an electric short circuit.

Rafiq Anwar, one of the neighbours, said the fireworks had been stored at the house for a wedding in the area that was scheduled after Eid. He said the explosion had been heard several blocks away.



He said had the Rescue officials not arrived on time, there could have been more damage. He said the police had been informed about such illegal storages in the area, but no one had visited them. He blamed the police for the loss of the children’s lives.

Dijkot police said they had not been informed about the house or any other place used as a fireworks warehouse. They said the area would be raided on the orders of the district police officer.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 19^th, 2013.