At least five people died and 15 others sustained injuries when a three-storey building collapsed due to a powerful gas cylinder explosion in Jhelum on Sunday.
According to initial reports, the three-storey hotel located on the Grand Trunk Road in Punjab’s Jhelum collapsed after a cylinder exploded in the kitchen.
Rescue officials said that as many as 15 injured have been recovered and shifted to the Jhelum District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital. Two of the injured — who were in critical condition — have been transported to Rawalpindi, they added.
District Emergency Officer (DEO) Saeed Ahmen said that the first and second storeys of the building have been cleared, adding that some people are still trapped in the basement of the hotel.
He maintained that a search and rescue operation is underway to recover all the people trapped under the debris of the building.
Taking to Twitter, the Jhelum police said that all available resources are being utilised to rescue the lives of the people trapped under the debris of the building.
Sharing a video of the rescue operation, the police said that the building debris was being removed with the help of heavy machinery.
