KHUZDAR: A huge fire broke out when a gas cylinder at a shop exploded, leaving eight people dead and a dozen others injured in a town of Lasbela district on Monday, officials said.

The cylinder exploded while being refilled at a filling shop in the main Bela bazaar of Lasbela, the police said, adding the flames engulfed other gas cylinders du­­m­ped in the shop and spread to other shops, destroying at least four of them and around two do­­zen motorbikes parked in the vicinity.

“Twenty people received burn injuries, including the owner of the shop, in the cylinder explosion,” Lasbela deputy commissioner Murad Kasi told Dawn, adding that police and Levies officials immediately rushed to the spot to shift them to hospital.

Death toll may rise as 12 injured in blast

They deceased were identified as Haji Omer, Barkat Ronjah, Muhammad Hayat, Muhammad Iqbal, Zahoor Ronjah, Hidayt­ul­lah, Muhammad Yaqoob and Muhammad Yousaf.

“We received 20 people who received burn injuries in the burn centre of the hospital,” Dr Robina Bashir of Civil Hospital Karachi said.

The death toll is expected to rise. According to Dr Robina, the condition of some other injured was also serious with 70 to 90 per cent burn injuries.

The Lasbela deputy commissioner said that since a huge fire broke out at the cylinder shop after the blast, fire tenders were called from Winder and Uthal to douse the rising flames. He said with the efforts of firemen, the entire bazaar was saved from burning.

Police said an inquiry has been initiated to fix responsibility for the incident.

Published in Dawn, December 20th, 2022