Woman killed as Rahim Yar Khan gas pipelines bombing sparks inferno

RAHIM YAR KHAN: A huge blaze that had broken out after a banned militant outfit bombed three main gas pipelines in Rahim Yar Khan has been brought under control, Geo News reported.

"In a major terror hit, Baloch Republican Army (BLA) blew up three major gas arteries late on Sunday night in Yousafabad area, which sparked so big a fire that it engulfed the populated area located nearby", officials said.

Initial reports say remote-controlled devices were used in the explosions which destroyed three out of the four pipelines within 30 minutes.

According to sources, the pipelines, carrying highly inflammable methane also called natural gas, burst into a massive ball of fire after the blasts.

"The blasts triggered an inferno that covered the nearby fields, while Basti Afzal Hamid Khumbara was evacuated immediately", the sources added.

The rescue sources say a woman was killed in the blaze while many head of cattle were also injured.

Considering the massive scale of fire, the city administration declared emergency, under which hundreds of residents of many nearby small towns were evacuated as a safety measure.

According to District Police Officer (DPO) Sohail Zafar Chattha, the miscreants targeted the main gas pipelines with planted explosives.

The outlawed Baloch Republican Army (BRA) claimed responsibility for the explosions at the point supplying gas to Punjab from Sui, Qadirpur Sawan, Pir Koh and Loti gas fields.

The Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) officials say the three pipelines had been blown up in a well-planned terrorist act.

The SNGPL officials added that fire at the three bombed gas pipelines had been extinguished but fixing them could take a while.

"The gas supply will remain suspended until the complete reparation of pipelines. It's a painstaking process, which involves a lot of technical issues"m said an SSGC spokesman.

Arif Hamid Khan, Managing Director of SNGPL, said the three bombed pipelines were of 24, 18 and 16 inches diameter which supplied natural gas to Rahimyar Khan, Multan, Bahawalpur, Lahore and Faisalabad.

The attack has reduced gas supply to the system by 700 million cubic metres and it is currently receiving 400 million cubic metres gas only

He also warned of a sudden drop in the pressure of gas following the suspension, without which repairs could not be possible.

The SNGPL has asked the consumers to stop using stoves, heaters and geysers because of the alarming decrease in gas pressure, while it would take 24 to 36 hours to complete the repair work.

One the other hand, some parts of Punjab are not receiving gas after the blasts, while the SNGPL has suspended gas supply to the CNG sector and industries across Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as an emergency step to tackle the crisis.