Gas pipeline explosion in K-P's Haripur leaves 8 dead, 5 injured: officials

At least eight members of a household were killed, and five others were injured after a fire from an explosion in a gas pipeline in Haripur in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa's Hazara division, officials said on Thursday. The blaze engulfed nearby residential settlements in a suburban area at the Hattar Industrial Estate. Confirming the death toll, Haripur Deputy Commissioner Wasim Ahmad said that eight members of one household were killed in the incident, while five people were injured and six were rescued. “The deceased included three children, two girls, two elderly women, and one man,” he added. He said the fire was brought under control after several hours of efforts and that the rescue operation had been completed. The massive fire erupted in a gas pipeline near Colony Mor, Kot Najibullah, in the Hattar Industrial Estate, spreading panic in a nearby factory. Employees managed to escape, but several people were trapped in the adjacent residential area. Rescue and fire brigade teams reached the site immediately, and given the intensity of the fire, seven additional fire vehicles and firefighters were dispatched from Mansehra, Abbottabad, Mardan, and Swabi to bring the situation under control, a Rescue 1122 spokesperson said. Read: Russian strikes kill 17 across Ukraine in worst attack this year Following the incident, gas supply to the Hazara division was suspended.