NAROWAL/OKARA: Six people, including four children, sustained burns in two cylinder blasts in Narowal and Okara areas on Wednesday.

In the first incident, shopkeeper Abdul Qayyum was decanting gas when the cylinder exploded at Harrh village of Shakargarh tehsil (Narowal). As a result four children Murtaza Ali (11) Fahad (10), Usman (9), Umar (7) and shopkeeper Qayyum suffered injuries.

Rescue 1122 shifted the injured to Shakargarh Tehsil Headquarters Hospital. After first aid, the injured were shifted to the Narowal DHQ Hospital from where they were referred to Lahore.

Meanwhile, some of the residents said five people were killed in a cylinder blast in a van some 20 days ago on Narowal-Zafarwal Road and the district administration did not [allegedly] take any action against illegal business of gas refilling.

In Okara, a man was injured when a cylinder exploded during decanting at 4/L bridge on GT Road.

As per the FIR filed by City B division police station, a team, led by ASI Razzaq, rushed to the spot after receipt of [blast] information. It said the team found worker Amjad decanting gas in a small cylinder from the main cylinder at the shop of Shaukat Ali. Amjad, who had sustained injuries, managed his escape.

Published in Dawn, July 11th, 2019