TAXILA: Two officials of Heavy Industries Taxila Education City (Hitec) including head of department of electrical engineering received burn injuries in gas blast.

University and hospital sources said when Mohammad Toufail, an office attendant switched on lights of the lecture room it blew up, causing huge fire. The room was filled with gas leaking from pipe.

As Dr. M. Zubair Farooqui, head of department (HOD) was following him, he also received burn injuries. Soon after the blast, the university administration shifted the injured to Heavy Industries Taxila hospital from where they were shifted to burn unit of Pakistan Ordnance Factories (POF) hospital Wah Cantt.

Hospital sources said that Toufail received 90 per cent burn injuries and 40 per cent by Mr Zubair.

The condition of Toufail is stated to be critical and was being operated at the time of filing this report.

When contacted, retired Col Bakhtiar Hakim of Hitec confirmed the incident and said that an inquiry into the incident had been ordered.

Published in Dawn, September 6th , 2014