Eleven people injured as leaking gas pipeline explodes in SITE

Eleven people, including women and two children, sustained burn injuries when a six-inch gas pipeline caught fire from burning garbage nearby and exploded in Metroville, SITE Area on Wednesday.

According to Sabir Khattak, the SHO of SITE-A police station, gas from the pipeline of the Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGCL) in Bab-e-Khyber area was leaking and caught fire from a nearby dump where garbage was being burned.

Four rickshaws, a car and a motorcycle were completely burnt as a result of the explosion. Khattak said that upon getting the information, a heavy contingent of police and Rangers reached the site and pushed back onlookers to begin rescuing the injured individuals and take them to a hospital.

He added that the police also contacted the SSGCL authorities who blocked off the supply of gas to the affected pipeline. According to the SHO, the injured include two-year-old Muhammad Nafees Ali, two-year-old Hashim, 34-year-old Nosheen, 50-year-old Kifayat, 40-year-old Perveen, 28-year-old Sherullah, 35-year-old Javed, 40-year-old Ayub, 18-year-old Hazrat Umar and 25-year-old Amjad.

Those with minor burn injuries were treated by nearby health centers while those who sustained severe burn wounds were shifted to Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK). Three of them are said to be in critical condition.

Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) Chief Fire Officer (CFO) Tehseen Siddiqui told The News that a fire truck from Lyari Fire Station immediately reached the site and doused the flames within an hour. He said there was the possibility that the fire could have spread due to the wind, but with timely information, the fire department took immediate action and managed to prevent more losses.