Five of a family injured in Rawalpindi cylinder explosion

RAWALPINDI: At least five members of a family were wounded when a gas cylinder exploded in their house in Kartarpura neighbourhood of Rawalpindi on Tuesday, ARY News reported.

According to police, all the injured have been moved to a nearby hospital for medical attention.

Meanwhile, gas supply remained suspended in Rawalpindi for the fifth consecutive day on Tuesday, forcing people to turn to alternate fuel sources to cook meals and keep themselves warm in the chilly weather.

A total of nine incidents of gas cylinder explosion have been reported within a period of eight days, resulting in the loss of two lives.

Earlier, on Jan 10, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry held the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) responsible for the current gas crisis and said the past government left the sector under the debt of Rs. 1.57 bn.

He expressed these views in an interview with ARY News anchorperson Arshad Sharif in program Power Play. The minister said the sector was profitable and performing well in 2013, when the PML-N government came into the power.

“Shahid Khaqan turned the profitable sector into the loss making one,” he said and added, Muhammad Zubair should ask from him [Abbasi], “Why the gas is not being supplied”.

Mr Fawad said the sacked Managing Directors of Suit Southern Gas Company (SSGC) and the Sui Northern Gas Company (SNGC) were also appointed by the erstwhile prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.