LAHORE: At least six people were burnt to death and 38 were injured when a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanker truck parked in a residential area of Multan exploded in the wee hours of Monday.

About 15 people were decanting LPG from the tanker truck to big commercial cylinders at Hamidpur Kanora in Fahad Town on Muzaffargarh Road when the tanker caught fire. The workers fled the scene but did not report to anyone.

The tanker exploded with a bang. Resultantly, roofs of about two dozen houses in the surrounding areas caved in while other houses caught fire as the flames from the exploded tanker reached there. Six people were burnt to death on the spot while 38 others were injured.

Rescue 1122 fire engines controlled the fire after efforts of three hours. The firefighters shifted 38 injured to the Nishtar Hospital where eight of them were stated to be in critical condition.

Roofs of two dozen houses collapse, others catch fire, 70 partially damaged; three persons arrested, 15 booked over the incident

Most of the people suffered burns while some of them were injured after the roofs of their houses collapsed due to the impact of the explosion. Around 20 houses were completely reduced to rubble due to the explosion while 70 others were partially damaged.

Muzaffarabad police in Multan registered a case against eight nominated and seven unidentified persons and arrested three of them.

Rescue 1122 spokesperson Arshad Bhutta said the injured shifted to Nishtar Hospital included women and children. He said several houses collapsed due to the explosion and around 20 cattle also lost their lives in the fire.

Multan City Police Officer (CPO) Sadiq Ali Dogar told the media that several houses were destroyed and livestock perished in the blaze. He said the gas leaked from one of the valves of the tanker parked in the Industrial Estate and some people left the area after smelling the gas before the tanker exploded.

Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz expressed a deep sense of grief and sorrow over the loss of precious human lives due to the explosion. She offered condolences and extended her heartfelt sympathies to the bereaved families. She directed the authorities to provide the best medical treatment facilities to the injured and asked them to effectively enforce standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the safe use of the LPG.

Commissioner Aamir Kareem Khan conducted a visit to the LPG container explosion site on the Muzaffargarh Road to monitor the rescue operation. He directed DC Muhammad Ali Bukhari to form a five-member inquiry committee to investigate the incident.

Multan Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Ali Bukhari constituted an eight-member committee to find the cause of the incident and fix responsibility for the loopholes, which resulted in the incident. The additional deputy commissioner (Revenue) Multan is the convener of the committee whose members include SSP operations Multan, assistant commissioner (Saddar), chief officer district council, Rescue 1122 district emergency officer, civil defence officer, representatives of Special Branch. The committee has been directed to submit a fact-finding report along with recommendations within 48 hours.

The commissioner visited the burn centre at Nishtar Hospital to inquire about the injured and assess the medical facilities being provided to them.

Additional Chief Secretary South Punjab Fuad Hashim Rabbani, Additional IGP South Punjab Kamran Khan, Special Secretary Specialized Healthcare, Amanullah also visited the burn unit.

Speaking to the media, the additional chief secretary said the inquiry committee would investigate the explosion and strict action would be taken against those responsible and the committee would also assess financial losses caused by the incident.

Meanwhile, the commissioner issued orders for a crackdown on illegal LPG decanting activities and preparation of a list of LPG containers across the division. He imposed a ban on parking of LPG containers in the densely populated areas, saying that the presence of LPG or other chemical materials in the crowded areas posed safety risks.

He also directed the DC to conduct raids on illegal LPG and CNG decanting shops, seal unsafe outlets operating without safety measures and register FIRs against the violators. He also ordered a fresh inspection of fitness certificates for school buses and passenger vehicles.

Traffic police, district administration, Regional Transport Authority (RTA) and Civil Defence will jointly carry out operations to curb illegal LPG refilling in the populated areas.

Published in Dawn, January 28th, 2025