TAXILA: A devastating gas cylinder explosion in Sarg village of Pindigheb town of Attock claimed the lives of three of a family including a man and his two teenage daughters, while his wife was critically injured, officials and Rescue 1122 sources said on Monday.

The deceased were identified as 45-year-old Hafiz Fakhar Zaman and his daughters identified as Ansa Shehzadi, 17, and Hafza Bibi, 15. Fakhar’s 35-year-old wife Shabana Bibi sustained serious injuries in the explosion.

Rescue 1122 personnel shifted her to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital from where she was rushed to Holy Family hospital Rawalpindi because of her critical condition.

Rescue 1122 teams rushed to the scene after receiving information about the incident and launched emergency operations.

Police also reached the location and initiated an investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding the explosion.

Preliminary information suggested that a gas cylinder explosion had caused the tragedy.

However, the precise cause of the blast and the circumstances leading to it had yet to be established.

Police were investigating the incident, while further details about the explosion were awaited. Pall of gloom spread across the town when the bodies were shifted for burial to their native graveyard. Moving scenes were also witnessed on the occasion.

Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif expressed deep grief and sorrow over the deaths of three of the same family.

In a statement, she extended her heartfelt condolences and sympathies to the bereaved family and expressed solidarity with them.

Published in Dawn, October 13th, 2026