At least six people died and 38 others were injured when a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanker exploded in Punjab’s Multan late last night, police said on Monday.

Multan Deputy Commissioner (DC) Muhammad Ali Bukhari told Dawn.com: “The explosion occurred due to a fire in the tanker, which was full of gas,” adding that efforts to control the fire were underway.

He said that 16 firefighting vehicles were present at the incident site and more had been called. He further said that the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority and other organisations had also been called for the ongoing operation.

“The area had been sealed while the gas and electricity supply had also been stopped,” DC Bukhari added.

According to Rescue 1122 spokesperson Arshad Bhutta, the injured, which included women and children, were shifted to the Nishtar Hospital.

Several houses collapsed due to the explosion, Bhutta said, adding that around 20 cattle also lost their lives.

DC Bukhari formed a high-level inquiry committee to investigate the incident, seeking a detailed report from it within 48 hours.

Multan Commissioner Amir Karim Khan ordered that a list of LPG containers in the division be prepared and imposed a ban on standing LPG containers in the Ganjanabad area.

He further said that illegal filling shops of LPG and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) should be raided and those operating without proper safety measures should be sealed.

Incidents of fire caused by leakage and explosion of the LPG cylinders occur routinely across the country.

Earlier this month, a man was burnt to death when his house caught fire caused by an explosion of an LPG cylinder in Sindh’s Ghotki district.

In May last year, a major blast at an LPG cylinder filling shop in Hyderabad had claimed the lives of at least 27 people, including 19 children, and left over a dozen others injured. It was followed by similar incidents in Bhitshah and Larkana within two weeks, leading to action against LPG filling shops.

President, PM express grief

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed sorrow over the deaths and injuries in the explosion, state-run Radio Pakistan reported.

The president commiserated with the bereaved families and prayed for the departed souls.

PM Shehbaz wished for the speedy recovery of the injured, his party PML-N wrote on X.

He directed authorities to find out the cause of the explosion and prevent such incidents in the future.