MUZAFFARGARH: One person was killed in a powerful explosion at a junk shop in the suburbs of Sanawan, Qasba Gurmani, on Monday, police sources said.

The police cordoned off the area, but failed to ascertain the exact nature of the explosion.

The deceased has been identified as 31-year-old Muhammad Waseem, son of Ramzan, the owner of the junk shop. A bomb squad and forensic teams arrived at the scene to assess the nature of the blast.

This is the third explosion in and around Kot Addu in the ongoing year, resulting in a total of seven fatalities, according to police.

Police Station House Officer Shahid Rizwan said that his team was interrogating the shop owner and that a case would soon be registered.

FOUR KILLED: Four people were killed, and more than 20 passengers seriously injured when a passenger bus collided with a tractor-trolley near Kot Addu Road at Kothi Qureshi, on Monday morning.

The accident occurred around 4am when the bus, travelling from Rawalpindi to Dera Ghazi Khan, collided with the tractor-trolley. Rescue 1122 officials responded to the scene, extracting the bodies from the wreckage and rescuing the injured passengers.

The injured were later shifted to the Kot Addu THQ Hospital for treatment.

Sources said that some critically injured passengers were transferred to Nishtar Hospital in Multan for further medical care.

Kot Addu Deputy Commissioner Syed Munawar Abbas Bukhari directed the hospital administration to ensure the best possible treatment for the injured and arranged for the transport of the deceased to their native towns.

He also said that no complaints had been received from the families of the patients.

Published in Dawn, September 24th, 2024