HYDERABAD: A young boy died and a man suffered injuries in an explosion at an LPG cylinder-filling shop at Islamabad Chowk on Monday. The blast occurred during the process of decanting of gas, which was otherwise illegal.

The boy identified as 10-year-old Umer Hussain and Zahid, who ran the shop, suffered injuries in the blast and were taken to Civil Hospital where the boy succumbed to his wounds, according to Phuleli police station’s SHO, Javed Jalbani.

Since the shop was owned by Aijaz, an FIR about the incident had been lodged against both Zahid and Aijaz under relevant sections of law, he said.

City assistant commissioner Babar Saleh, who rushed to the area, was told by residents that the decanting continued in the shop, which was set up on premises leased out to the owner by Pakistan Railways. Police had been directed to lodge the FIR, he said.

The victim’s heirs protested outside SSP office while carrying body of the deceased and said that they used LPG due to unavailability of gas in their locality. The explosion was caused by use of substandard cylinders, they said.

A major tragedy occurred in May last year in Paretabad area in which 27 people, including 19 children had lost their lives in an explosion at a similar LPG shop.

The LPG shops were closed down in the wake of the tragedy but they reappeared over time and resumed LPG decanting, which was legally not allowed at any shop, said the official.

Published in Dawn, June 17th, 2025