SHEIKHUPURA: Two women and a teenage boy were killed while 10 other passengers of a van sustained burns as its liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinder exploded in the Shahkot area of the city on Thursday.

The van was passing through the main bazaar to avoid the toll tax. When it reached in the middle of the bazaar, its cylinder exploded with a bang. As a result, two women, including Hafizan Bibi, were burnt to death on the spot. The identity of the other woman and a teenage boy could not be ascertained.

The van was burnt to ashes. Six of the 10 passengers who received burns were in a critical condition. They included Fiaz, 13, Talha, 16, Asad, 9, Amaan, 2, and Zahida Bibi, 20. The injured were shifted to the Allied Hospital, Faisalabad, as Nankana DHQ Hospital and Shahkot THQ Hospital had no burn units.

Shahkot police registered a case against van driver Shaukat and its owner.

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif expressed sorrow over the three deaths and ordered the administration to hold an inquiry into the incident and issued it directions to provide the best healthcare to the injured.

DIES: A woman died while her two children suffered injuries as the roof of their room caved in the Rana Town locality.

Shabana Bibi and her two sons, Ansar and Muneer, were sleeping when the roof caved in due to heavy rain, burying them under the debris. When the debris was removed, Shabana had died while Ansar and Muneer had received injuries. The injured were shifted to a Lahore hospital.

Published in Dawn, June 30th, 2017