Six of a family die as van catches fire in Karachi's Garden area

KARACHI: At least six members of a family, two children among them, were burnt alive and four others sustained burn injuries when their vehicle caught fire in Garden area on Sunday morning, ARY News reported.  

According to police and rescue officials, the incident occurred near Karachi Zoo when the ill-fated vehicle caught fire due to CNG leakage, leaving six people dead and four others with life-threatening injuries.

The deceased and injured have been shifted to a nearby hospital.

Police said the family was going for a picnic to Hawksbay. The deceased included Muhammad Ali, his wife and their two children who were residents of the city’s Lasbela neighbourhood.

Following the incident, rescue workers and the residents of the area rushed to the spot and began dousing the fire to pull out the burn victims. Subsequently, fire fighters also reached the spot and put the fire out.

Initial investigation suggested the vehicle caught fire due to CNG leakage, however, further investigation is underway to determine the exact cause of the fire. Police claimed that the owner of the vehicle has been arrested.

The driver of the vehicle who escaped after the incident later surrendered after the incident. He told the police that the vehicle caught fire due to the wiring in the battery which eventually spread to the CNG cylinder.