Explosion: CNG cylinder blast kills four, injures three

Three of the bodies charred beyond recognition.

PESHAWAR:

Four people were killed while three others sustained burn injuries when the CNG cylinder of a taxi exploded at Pak-Afghan CNG Station on Ring Road on Monday.

“The driver had installed a locally made or modified substandard cylinder because such cylinders are cheap,” an official of Chamkani police station told The Express Tribune. “It led to his death along with that of three other passengers.”

The official said initially it was mistaken to be a bomb blast but when the bomb disposal squad inspected the site of the explosion they found no evidence of the use of explosives.

The FX motor car came to the station for CNG at around 6am and the tank exploded due to high pressure while it was being filled, said the police official. “The vehicle was destroyed in the blast and it caught fire soon after the explosion so all four bodies were burnt beyond recognition. Only one deceased, Ziaullah, a resident of Budhni, has been identified with difficulty,” he added. “The injured were rushed to  hospital where their condition is said to be stable now.”

Published in The Express Tribune, July 22^nd, 2014.