Gas leak caused Lahore explosion

Officials revisit bomb blast explanation; say debris delayed forensics team analysis

An explosion that killed seven people and caused panic in the Pakistani city of Lahore was caused by a gas leak and not a bomb as police had earlier said, officials said yesterday.

The blast on Thursday wounded dozens in the provincial capital, already on edge after a suicide attack just ten days earlier that killed 14 people, part of a deadly wave of militant violence that has rippled across Pakistan this month.

Accident

Multiple police and administration officials had earlier gone on record to say the explosion in a posh area of the eastern city, which blew out windows and crumpled cars, was a bomb.

But amid speculation, authorities revised their assessment at a press conference in Lahore.

“Yesterday’s [Thursday’s] explosion was an accident. It was not caused by explosives or a result of terrorism,” Punjab provincial law minister Rana Sanaullah said.

“The presence of gas cylinders and leakage has been confirmed on the site,” he continued.

“We got the forensic report this morning and the results and conclusions are that there was no indication of explosives or related materials.”

Debris had blocked the forensics team from accessing the site, he said, while the analysis took up to eight hours.

Sanaullah blamed the confusion on chaos in the aftermath of the incident, and suggested authorities were considering reforming the provincial press department to streamline the flow of verified information.

Thursday’s explosion sent panic through Lahore, where reports of a second blast were quickly debunked. Most schools and restaurants were closed yesterday.