16 including children die of gas leakage incidents in Pakistan's Quetta

At least 16 people, including children, have died due to gas leakage incidents in the past one week in Quetta city of Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province.

On Wednesday, four children of a family died inside a mud-walled house after the gas leakage triggered an explosion in the Killi Badezai area in Quetta, police said. Two women were also injured in the incident.

The children were sleeping when the gas filled the room and caused an explosion, leading to the collapse of the walls of the house, police said.

In a separate incident, a police sub-inspector died after his room was filled with gas in another area of Quetta.

A senior police officer confirmed that several cases had been reported on a daily basis since last week, leaving more than a dozen dead and dozens unconscious due to gas leakages in their homes.

He added that the leakages occurred due to widespread gas load-shedding and low pressure.

According to reports, the problem of gas load shedding and leakages has been reported not only in Quetta but also from nearby areas like Ziarat and Kalat.

Balochistan is presently in the grip of chilly and cold weather for the last month.