VEHARI/SIALKOT: As many as 11 people were seriously injured in two gas cylinder explosions separately on Tuesday.

In the first incident, seven people of a family, including five women, were injured when a house caught fire following an LPG cylinder blast at Chak 64-WB in Vehari Saddar police limits.

The blast occurred when the wife of a labourer, Rafique, was cooking on a stove in her house, police said.

As a result, seven members of the family, including five women, were injured. The house also caught fire that gutted various household items.

Rescue 1122 personnel controlled the fire and shifted the injured to the district headquarters hospital.

According to DHQ Hospital’s Dr Liaqat, who was on duty in the emergency ward, three of the injured women identified as Kausar, Razia and Shakeela, were referred to Nishtar Hospital, Multan, due to their serious condition.

Four injured people -- Zubaida, Zahida, Shafique and Shahzaib - were being treated at the hospital.

According to Rescue 1122’s Waqas Anwar, the cylinder exploded due to gas leakage during cooking.

Saddar police are looking into the matter.

In the other incident, four labourers were injured seriously when a gas cylinder exploded in a shop at Qila Kalarwala, Pasrur tehsil of Sialkot.

The accident occurred when the labourers -- Iqbal, Abbas, Shehbaz and Abdul Razzaq -- were unloading cylinders from a mini truck.

The explosion was so intense that besides injuring the labourers it destroyed the shop where cylinders were stored.

The injured were shifted to Pasrur Tehsil Headquarters (THQ) Hospital. Their condition is said to be critical.

Qila Kalarwala police are investigating.

Published in Dawn, April 15th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play