PESHAWAR: Three persons were killed and as many received injuries when a CNG cylinder of a motorcar exploded at a filling station on Ring Road in the limits of Chamkani police station here on Monday.

Eyewitnesses said that the blast also damaged the structure of filling station and nearby vehicles. They said that the cylinder of a motorcar, which had come to Ali CNG Station for filling gas, exploded that killed three people and injured three others.

Nisarullah, who works at a workshop in the area, said that it was an old model Suzuki motorcar. All the victims, killed and injured, were onboard the vehicle, he said.

“We though it was a bomb blast but as we got close to the area police also arrived and then the people described it as a cylinder blast,” Nisarullah said. He said that the blast also caused suspension of traffic on the main road, especially when police started collecting evidence from the spot.

Three others receive injuries in the incident

Bilal Ahmed Faizi, the spokesperson for Rescue 1122, said that six people sustained injuries in the blast. They were shifted to Lady Reading Hospital but three of them succumbed to their wounds, while the rest were under treatment, he added.

Two of the killed persons were identified as Niaz Ali and Ziaullah. The injured include Niaz Gul, Gul Zaman and Zahir.

Meanwhile, All Pakistan CNG Association chairman Ghiyas Paracha has expressed his shock over the death and injuries of the people and described it an unfortunate incident.

He said that the incident took place owing to use of substandard cylinder in the motorcar. “We have time and again appealed to the government to activate the relevant officials to start checking of the gas cylinders and take strict against all those, who install substandard cylinders,” he said.

The gas cylinders, Mr Paracha said, were like bombs which could explode anytime if the material was substandard. He said that if the government took serious action against the violators, such incidents could be minimised to great extent.

GANG BUSTED: Police claimed to have busted a gang of robbers in the rural areas of provincial metropolis.

SP Shakir Bangash told a press conference at Chamkani police station on Monday said that a group of criminals, involved in different cases, was busted.

He said that a suspect identified as Zakir was arrested some time ago and he disclosed names of his accomplices.

The SP said that other members of the gang included Imran, Rehmat, Siffat, Anwarul Haq and Bajir. He said that a few days ago an encounter had also taken place in the same area wherein a police constable sustained bullet injuries. A suspect was also injured in the encounter and he had got treatment at a private clinic in Kariri area.

The SP said that a doctor identified as Wisal was also arrested for treating the suspect without informing police.

Published in Dawn, July 22nd, 2014