LAHORE: The death toll in the Multan LPG tanker explosion rose to 10 on Wednesday.

The explosion, which occurred in early hours of Monday, initially claimed the lives of six people and left 38 others injured.

The incident took place in a residential area of Multan, where some 15 people were decanting LPG from a tanker truck to commercial cylinders at Hamidpur Kanora in Fahad Town on Muzaffargarh Road.

The tanker caught fire, prompting workers to flee the scene without reporting the incident.

The tanker exploded with a loud bang, causing the roofs of about two dozen houses in the surrounding area to collapse and ignite fire in nearby homes.

Six people were burnt to death on the spot, while 38 others sustained injuries.

Rescue 1122 fire engines managed to control the fire after three hours. The injured were transported to Nishtar Hospital, where eight were reported to be in a critical condition.

Most of the victims suffered burns, while some were injured due to the collapse of their house roofs. The explosion completely reduced around 20 houses to rubble and partially damaged 70 others.

On behalf of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, Commissioner Amir Kareem Khan distributed financial aid cheques among the families of the victims.

A total of 33 injured receiving treatment at the Burn Centre of the Nishtar Hospital were given compensation cheques of Rs500,000 each.

The commissioner emphasised that the injured people were receiving the best possible medical treatment.

He acknowledged that no amount of money could compensate for the loss of human lives, but stated that the financial aid was a small effort to help the victims recover.

Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Ali Bukhari and Additional Deputy Commissioner (Finance) Mubashir Rahman were also present during the distribution of cheques.

Published in Dawn, January 30th, 2025