GWADAR: Two women died and over a dozen were injured when a gas cylinder exploded in a house in the Shapook area of Turbat on Friday night.

Security officers said on Saturday that the incident took place at the house when the women, who had gathered to attend a wedding, were cooking food.

“The house caught fire after the gas cylinder exploded and a major part of it collapsed due to the powerful blast,” a security official said, adding that the explosion created panic in the area.

Soon after the incident, personnel of the Frontier Corps, police, Levies and rescue workers rushed to the site and shifted the injured women to the District Hospital in Turbat.

After initial treatment, the 12 victims — including a minor girl — were shifted to Karachi through a Navy ATR plane.

“Two victims whose bodies were 70 to 80 per cent charred, succumbed to their injuries in Patel Hospital, Karachi,” official sources told Dawn, adding that the condition of nine others was stated to be serious as 50 to 60pc parts of their bodies were burnt.

The injured were identified as Fatima, Samina, Amina, Zeenat, Saeeda, Summayya, Shazia, Zainab, Sakeena, Naz Bibi and Anisa. Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani expressed his grief over the tragic incident and lauded the efforts of Pakistan Navy for assisting and transporting the injured on humanitarian ground.

Published in Dawn, September 23rd, 2018