JHELUM: At least seven people lost their lives while another 10 were injured on Sunday after a three-storey private hotel located on the Grand Trunk Road in Punjab’s Jhelum collapsed due to a gas cylinder explosion, according to officials.
According to Rescue 1122 district emergency in-charge Rana Mohammad Saeed, the death toll reached seven after one more body was retrieved by the end of the rescue operation while 10 injured were under treatment in the hospital.
“The [seventh] body belongs to a person named Qaiser who owns a gas cylinder refill shop,” he informed.
Jhelum District Police Officer (DPO) Nasir Mehmood Bajwa told Dawn.com that the explosion did not occur in the building but in the cylinder shop — which was located in the basement of the building. “Proceedings have been initiated for registration of a case,” he added.
ڈی پی او جہلم ناصر محمود باجوہ کی نگرانی میں جہلم پولیس کا ریسکیو آپریشن مسلسل جاری،
جہلم پولیس کے افسران امدادی سرگرمیوں میں بھرپور حصہ لے رہے ہیں،
عمارت کے ملبہ کو ہیوی مشینری کی مدد سے ہٹایا جا رہا ہے،
زخمیوں کو ہسپتال منتقل کیا جا رہا ہے، pic.twitter.com/G3VjTvlWPt
— JHELUM POLICE (@police_jhelum) July 9, 2023
A statement from Jhelum Deputy Commissioner (DC) Samiullah Farooq said that there was no evidence of anyone else under the hotel’s wreckage. He added that the rescue operation was continuing while a search operation would begin in the morning.
According to police, district administration and Rescue 1122, a three-storey building located on the Grand Trunk Road in Jhelum collapsed after a gas cylinder exploded in the kitchen on the ground floor.
The rescue teams, comprising police, civil defense personnel, and courageous civilians engaged to remove the debris from the building and evacuate the injured and dead bodies.
Samiullah Farooq, Deputy Commissioner of Jhelum, confirmed the death of seven people and said almost 10 others were recovered from the rubble and shifted to the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital.
“Two of the injured — who were in critical condition — have been transported to Rawalpindi, he added.
“There are reports that four to five people could be underneath the rubble,” the deputy commissioner said, adding that the rescue operation would continue till the last trapped person was reached and the whole site was cleared.
In the wake of the tragic incident, the Deputy Commissioner (DC) and District Police Officer (DPO) have taken charge of the relief operations, overseeing the process and ensuring effective coordination between the rescue teams.
Taking to Twitter, Jhelum District Police Officer Nasir Mehmood Bajwa said that all available resources were being utilised to rescue the lives of the people trapped under the debris of the building.
تمام دستیاب وسائل بروئے کار لائے جا رہے ہیں، ڈی پی او جہلم ناصر محمود باجوہ pic.twitter.com/VaZ9rLRz6R
— JHELUM POLICE (@police_jhelum) July 9, 2023
Sharing a video of the rescue operation, the DPO said that the building debris was being removed with the help of heavy machinery.
Meanwhile, an “emergency” has been imposed in the District Headquarters Hospital and the entire staff and doctors have been called on duty.
The blast in Jhelum comes a day after death of seven people and injuries to 14 others when a gas cylinder exploded in passenger van in Bhalwal tehsil of Sargodha district.
Last month, at least five, including three children, were killed and seven others were injured in three separate gas cylinder explosions across the country.
PM grieved over loss of lives in Jhelum building collapse
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Sunday expressed grief and sorrow over the loss of lives after the collapse of a building caused by a gas cylinder explosion in Jhelum.
In a statement, he prayed for the people who died in the incident and for the grant of patience to the bereaved families. He also prayed for the early recovery of the ten people who were injured in the tragedy.
He directed the authorities to make every possible effort for the medical treatment of the wounded.
