Hyderabad: The death toll in the Hyderabad cylinder blast has risen to 10, while seven more are said to be in critical condition among the 13 injured.
Hospital authorities said the death toll rose after another person was injured in the Burns Ward.
The hospital administration said at least 13 people were injured, seven of them seriously.
The dead were between six and 36 years old, and among the injured were children under the age of two.
On May 30, a massive explosion at a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinder filling shop killed dozens of people, including children and women, in Hyderabad’s Paretabad area.
The death toll has been high due to the fire that affected many civilians after a dangerous explosion at an LPG store.
Deputy Commissioner Zainul Abideen Memon said that they have closed the LPG shop after the fire incident.
LPG businessmen are required to obtain a no-objection certificate even those who have NOCs are not allowed to run businesses in public, he said, in reaction to the fire incident that killed at least 10 people.
“Telecomers will be allowed to open LPG businesses on the road away from the city.”
Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leaders condemned the gross negligence of the local administration at a press conference in Hyderabad.
MQM-P Member of the National Assembly (MNA) Syed Waseem Hussain said it was “our own” negligence that led to the Paretabad incident.
Waseem blamed the local government for shutting down fire stations in the Paretabad area, which has a population of over 600,000, with 6 out of 11 fire engines not working.
As people rushed to the shop to put out the fire after the first blast at 6pm, the shop caught fire and another powerful explosion hit several neighboring houses and shops in the densely populated area of the city.
As a result of the lightning, 51 people suffered burns and were taken to Hyderabad Civil Hospital and Combined Military Hospital in an ambulance.
The fire was extinguished after the arrival of 1122 rescue and fire engines from another city.
Sindh Chief Minister Mirat Ali Shah, Chief Secretary and Provincial Police Chief are aware of the incident and are seeking reports from the Deputy Commissioner, Deputy Inspector General and senior police officers.
