The blast occurred while guests were present at the house, according to Additional Deputy Commissioner General Sahibzada Yousaf. He said the explosion caused extensive damage to four neighbouring houses and that all people trapped under the rubble had been recovered.
Rescue teams pulled 15 people from the debris. Of them, six later died, while 10 others were injured and shifted to hospital. The injured were taken to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), where an emergency was imposed to ensure immediate medical treatment.
Rescue operations being conducted after a gas cylinder explosion occurres in Islamabad’s G-7/2 sector Photo: Express
An emergency has been imposed at PIMS Hospital on the instructions of the Executive Director PIMS, according to hospital spokesperson Dr Aneesa Jalil.
A total of 11 injured people, including two children, were also shifted to the hospital, Dr Jalil confirmed and most of the injured sustained severe injuries due to the collapse of the roof following the explosion.
Treatment of the injured is ongoing in the orthopaedic, burn centre and neurology departments.
Deputy Commissioner Yousaf said the rescue operation had been completed and no one remained trapped under the rubble. He added that sniffer dogs and modern equipment were used during the search operation to ensure all victims were recovered.
Islamabad Police said Deputy Inspector General Muhammad Jawad Tariq reached the site and personally supervised the ongoing rescue operation. Senior police officers were also present at the scene alongside rescue teams.
In a statement, the police said the area had been completely cordoned off, the injured were being provided medical assistance and further investigation into the incident was under way. The DIG urged citizens to cooperate with rescue teams during emergency operations.
Read: Infant dies, two women among four sustain injuries in Rawalpindi fire incidents
Authorities have launched an inquiry to determine the exact cause of the explosion, while the Islamabad deputy commissioner directed senior officials to oversee rescue and relief efforts at the site.
The incident comes amid a series of gas-related accidents reported in recent weeks. On January 8, three separate explosions caused by gas leakage and fire were reported in different areas of Rawalpindi, killing a three-month-old baby and injuring four others, including two women.
Earlier, on December 17, a woman was killed and 14 people, including children, were injured when roofs and walls of three houses collapsed following a liquefied petroleum gas cylinder explosion in the Labour Colony area of Larkana. The blast also damaged neighbouring houses, and Yasmeen, the wife of a resident, Qurban Mugheri, died in the incident.