16 dead, several injured in major blast in Hyderabad LPG shop

HYDERABAD: At least 16 people have died and 60 people, mostly children, received burn injuries in a major blast at a liquid petroleum gas cylinder filling shop in Hyderabad’s Preetabad area.

The incident occurred on Thursday (May 30), leaving dozens of people wounded, including children and women. The explosion triggered subsequent blasts in other cylinders and caused fires in several nearby homes while a vehicle was gutted.

The blast took place in a ground-floor shop located in Zacha Bacha hospital area on Mir Nabi Bux Town road in UC-8 of Neerunkot town in the jurisdiction of the Pinyari police station.

Firefighters rushed to the areas and brought the fire under control in the shop that had begun to spread to the building’s upper floors where the property owner’s family resided. There was also a seminary where children were studying.

The injured were rushed to Civil Hospital Hyderabad, but due to inadequate facilities, 23 severely injured were shifted to Civil Hospital Karachi. 10 of these patients have died, while 13 remain in critical condition in Karachi.

The sound of the blast was heard far and wide in the area and people came out of their homes in panic. The victims sustained severe burns and were shifted to Karachi after being provided emergency treatment.

The Government of Sindh has announced a compensation of Rs1 million for the deceased while the injured will be given half a million rupees each. Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah had ordered

Hyderabad Mayor Kashif Shoro has vowed action against illegal LNG cylinder refilling businesses operating in the city. Expressing deep sorrow over the cylinder blast, the mayor said that the district administration is taking action against such illegal businesses. He said a crackdown on illegal cylinder shops was conducted and several shops were sealed.