MINGORA: At least four persons were injured in a stampede in a cinema when a CNG cylinder exploded here on Friday night.

A police official said that a CNG cylinder, fitted in a car of Pashto artist, Nadia Khan, parked on the cinema premises, exploded, causing people, watching a show inside the building, to rush out, which resulted into injuries to four persons.

He said that two cars, belonging to artists Nadia Khan and Arbaz Khan, and some motorcycles were damaged in the incident. He added that the injured persons, Naimat Khan, Mohammad Khaliq, Haider and Inamullah, residents of Mingora, were shifted to Saidu Sharif hospital for treatment.

The police official said that after the blast the cars caught fire, which was extinguished by fire brigade staff after an hour long struggle.

Sources said that the blast was not an act of terrorism, however, they began investigations.

Meanwhile, bomb disposal squad personnel on Saturday defused a mortar shell at Amankot area of Mingora city. The mortar shell was recovered from a nullah during its cleaning, which was later on defused by BDU personnel. Police sources said that the mortar shell was dropped by unknown persons, probably during the period of unrest in the area.

Published in Dawn, May 25th, 2014