Pak says gas leak, not bomb, behind Lahore blast

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 stated, according to officials yesterday.

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

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

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

"Yesterday's explosion was an accident. It was not caused by explosives or a result of terrorism," Punjab provincial law minister Rana Sanaullah said yesterday.

"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."