KARACHI: At least 25 workers were injured when three hydrogen gas cylinders and a boiler exploded in a factory in the SITE area at 11 o’ clock last night [Oct 13].

Although no loss of life was ascertained till our going to the press, eye-witnesses do not rule out the possibility of fatal casualties. Damage to property in the factory where the explosion took place and also in an adjoining textile mill was roughly estimated at over Rs eight lakhs.

According to a spokesman of the factory — Maqbool & Company — which produces vegetable ghee and soaps, the explosion occurred in the hydrogen gas storage tank of the factory while the workers were engaged in repairing it following a minor leakage. Three cylinders, placed one below the other, exploded in quick succession.

The blasts, reports of which could be heard from various parts of the City, blew off the roof of the factory, and the flying splinters caused extensive damage to the adjoining Hafiz Textile Mill. The impact of the blasts rocked the factory walls and heavy wooden doors were ripped off their frames. Seven Fire Engines reached the scene immediately, and controlled the fire in about half-an-hour’s time. Two engines were standing by for emergency.

The splinters of the three cylinders pierced through the main gate of the factory and flew all around. Splinters could be found even at a distance of about a mile or so from the place of occurrence. A piece of splinter weighing about two maunds was found lying near the factory gate — about 200 yards away from the place of blast — causing damage to the gate. Another piece, weighing about two maunds, was seen by this correspondent on the roof of the Hafiz Textile Hills, and yet another flew off to as far as Relax Cinema, Nazimabad.

One large portion of the boiler plant flew into the roof of the textile mill and small splinters pierced through the glass chimneys of the machine room and damaged the airconditioning room of the mill. The asbestos sheet roof of the mill looked as if it had been shelled.

Published in Dawn, October 14th, 2017