A three-storey building located in Jhelum in Pakistan's Punjab province collapsed due to a gas cylinder explosion on Sunday, killing seven people and injuring ten others, authorities said.
Citing Jhelum District Police Officer Nasir Mehmood Bajwa, Dawn reported that the explosion occurred at a cylinder shop located in the basement of the building. "Proceedings have been initiated for registration of a case,” he further said.
The incident took place at 9:45 am on Sunday and 16 people have been recovered from the rubble. All injured persons have been shifted to hospitals for treatment.
"Our relief and rescue operation is still under way and it will continue until the last breath of life is rescued," said Jhelum Deputy Commissioner (DC) Samiullah Farooq.
After the building collapse, an emergency was imposed in the district headquarters hospital. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also extended his condolences to the family of the deceased.
The incident comes after seven people were killed after the gas cylinder of a vehicle exploded in Punjab's Sargodha district in Pakistan, which also injured 14 people.
Earlier in June, five people, including three children, were killed and seven others were injured in three separate gas cylinder explosions across the country.
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