Accidental fire triggers powerful explosions at military depot in Pakistan’s Sialkot

Lahore: An accidental fire caused by shot-circuit triggered a series of powerful explosions at a military depot in Pakistan’s Punjab province on Sunday morning, sparking rumours that the key army installation was targeted by terrorists.

The accidental fire broke out in ammunition shed near Sialkot garrison, some 100 km from Lahore.

Pakistan Army’s media wing – the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) – issued a statement, saying ”due to short-circuiting, accidental fire broke out in an ammunition shed near Sialkot Garrison. No loss of life. Effective and timely response contained damages and fire has been extinguished.” No further details were shared by the army.

According to reports, a large fire and explosions rocked the military depot near the cantonment area at 6am. Fire brigade and Rescue 1122 reached the spot and extinguished the fire reportedly after several hours.

When asked about damages and any casualty or injuries in the wake of the Sialkot explosions, a spokesperson for the Rescue 1122 told PTI that only the military is authorised to talk on the matter.

The videos of the explosions and fire were uploaded on social media, making a top trend on Twitter in Pakistan. The videos show that a series of blasts was taking place and fire erupting.

An eyewitness told PTI that explosions were so powerful that nearby residents took it as terror attack. He said it was very confusing as the blasts were happening one after another.