Islamabad, June 7 (IANS) Six family members were killed and two others seriously injured after a gas cylinder explosion in Pakistan’s northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province on Saturday, according to a rescue official.

According to Pakistan’s ARY News, among the deceased were a husband, wife, and four other family members.

Local police said that the roof of a dilapidated house collapsed due to the blast, leaving several people buried under the debris.

Bilal Ahmad Faizi, spokesperson for Rescue 1122 KP, told Xinhua news agency that the incident occurred late on Friday in Irum Colony, a residential area in Mardan district.

“The explosion resulted in the collapse of a two-story house, killing six people and seriously injuring two girls,” said Faizi.

He said rescue teams responded swiftly to the emergency and launched a rescue operation. “Eight people, including six deceased and two injured, were pulled out from under the rubble,” he added.

According to Faizi, over 100 personnel participated in the operation, which continued for seven hours. The deceased and injured were transported to the Mardan Medical Complex.

He added that the cause of the cylinder explosion has yet to be determined, but the blast may have occurred due to gas leakage.

According to the local media reports, in a separate incident, eight children were injured when the plaster on the roof of a government primary school in Muhammad Rahim Malokhani village collapsed in Tando Adam.

The teachers and local residents took the injured to various private hospitals for treatment on their own. The incident occurred due to the dilapidated state of the school.

According to ARY, the injured children included Bano, Saira, Shoaib, Bhambho, Saiyan, Balm, and Kausar.

–IANS

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