Two children killed, teenager injured in Afghanistan gas cylinder fire

Two children aged 7 and 10 were killed, and a teenager was injured, after a gas cylinder caught fire due to negligence in Afghanistan’s Logar province. The tragedy underscores the ongoing household risks involving domestic gas usage

Kabul: Two children were killed and a 16-year-old teenager was injured recently after a gas cylinder caught fire in eastern Afghanistan’s Logar province, a local official said on Sunday.

The incident occurred in Honi Sayyidan area of Pul-e-Alam, the provincial capital, when a gas cylinder ignited due to what authorities described as negligence by the family, Mawlawi Mirwais Abdali, spokesperson for the provincial governor, told Xinhua.

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The two children, aged 7 and 10, succumbed to their injuries while receiving medical treatment, while the injured teenager remains hospitalised, Abdali said, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Following the incident, the official urged residents to observe essential safety precautions when using gas appliances to help prevent similar accidents.

The tragedy highlights the persistent risks associated with domestic gas use in Afghanistan, where inadequate safety awareness and limited infrastructure continue to contribute to preventable household accidents.

On June 9, one person was killed and two others injured in a gas cylinder explosion in Khost province, police said. Police spokesman Tahir Ahrar said the incident took place in the Lakani Bazaar area of Khost City, where a gas cylinder exploded and caused a fire. He added that one person died while two others were injured in the incident, Pajhwok Afghan News reported.

Tahir Abrar said that firefighting teams rushed to the site of the incident, brought the blaze under control and prevented further loss of life and property damage.

On February 5, three people, all women from the same family, were killed and another was injured after a gas cylinder exploded inside a house in eastern Afghanistan’s Khost province, provincial police spokesman Tahir Ehrar said.

The ill-fated family was using a gas heater to warm their house in the chilly winter weather, but the cylinder of the heater exploded due to gas leakage, causing the fatalities, the official added.

A male member of the affected family who was badly injured had been taken to the hospital, the official added.

People in post-war Afghanistan, where there is no modern heating system, often use gas cylinders or wooden stoves to keep their houses warm during freezing winters, but deadly accidents sometimes occur due to gas leakage and explosion.