Sargodha: 7 killed, 13 wounded in LPG cylinder blast

SARGODHA: A gas leak explosion in an LPG cylinder in a moving van killed seven people and injured 13 others in the Bhalwal city of Sargodha district on Saturday morning.

The police said a white Toyota Hiace was en route to Kot Momin when the substandard cylinder filled with LPG gas for fuel exploded due to a gas leak. They said that the van’s driver fled the scene right after the explosion.

Also Read: Rain, drizzle received in various areas of Karachi Malir

Kot Momin Police Station Head Constable Shahid Safdar, who is one of the injured passengers of the van, said he was heading to work in the ill-fated van. 

He said that he was sitting on the front seat of the van when the cylinder exploded around 8:30am. 

Also Read: 22 new social security hospitals will be built in Punjab

Safdar was lucky enough to get out of the van safely, as he said he immediately exited the vehicle. However, he sustained some minor injuries. 

He said that he broke open the middle door and the rear door of the van to take the passengers out as the flames had engulfed the entire vehicle “I pulled some of the burning passengers out of the van but couldn’t save six to seven people present in the van,” Shahid said.

The injured shifted to nearby hospitals in Sargodha and Kot Momin. One of the injured listed as having a critical condition earlier by the rescue-emergency officer. He stated that efforts made to identify the deceased.

As many passenger vans in Pakistan have subpar cylinders and lack quality control and security measures, incidents like these are not uncommon.