Mishaps: 22 persons injured in separate incidents

Police say four of the total in critical state.

RAWALPINDI:

At least 22 persons were reportedly injured in two separate incidents in Rawalpindi on Tuesday.

In the first incident that took place in the Dhoke Loolian area of Mohra Chapper Road in the jurisdiction of Saddar Bairooni Police Station, a gas cylinder blew up in an under-construction house.

The blast occurred due to gas leakage from the cylinder while the family was busy preparing breakfast, the police said.

They further informed that the whole house --- owned by Rustam Khan --- caught fire, injuring five family members --- Rustam Khan, Ali, Ibrar, Laiba and Alisha.

Rescue 1122 officials shifted the injured to Combined Military Hospital (CMH), where doctors said all of them were in stable condition.

The second incident took place in Mohala Quaidabad, in the Pirwadhai area, where 17 people were injured after the roof of a house collapsed.

According to the police, a large number of people were visiting Noor Khan’s house to take his dead uncle’s body to a graveyard for burial.

As the lower floor could not accommodate all the relatives and guests, some of them were shifted to the second floor. Already weak, the overburdened roof could not bear the weight and collapsed, said the official.

Four of the injured --- Imtiaz, Shabana, Halima and Rehma Bibi --- were taken to Holy Family Hospital by Rescue 1122 because of their serious condition, while the others were given first aid on the spot.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 13^th, 2013.