Bride and Groom Among 8 Killed in Gas Cylinder Blast Just Hours After Wedding Celebration

A newly married couple in Pakistan’s capital were still basking in the afterglow of their wedding when the festivities ended in disaster.

In the early hours of Sunday, Jan. 11, at least eight people — including the bride and groom — were killed in Islamabad after a gas cylinder exploded, according to ABC News and the BBC, citing local authorities. Islamabad Police also confirmed the blast in a statement shared on Facebook.

Family members and other guests who had traveled to celebrate the couple were sleeping inside a home in a residential neighborhood following the wedding, the BBC reported, citing the groom’s father.

The explosion caused part of the house to collapse — including sections of the roof and walls — and damaged three nearby homes as well, according to ABC News and the BBC.

Emergency responders told the BBC they suspected a gas leak may have triggered the blast, though officials are still investigating the exact cause.

First responders carried several injured people out on stretchers after they were trapped beneath rubble. Detection dogs were also deployed to help rescuers ensure no one remained buried in the debris, the BBC reported. Islamabad Police said the injured received immediate medical attention.

Alongside the newlyweds, at least six other people — including relatives and guests — were among the dead. More than a dozen others were injured, according to the BBC.

The groom’s father, Hanif Masih, said wedding guests went to sleep around 3 a.m. local time. The explosion occurred about four hours later, around 7 a.m., the BBC reported.

Pakistan’s Senate chairman, Yusuf Raza Gilani, described the explosion as “a heart-wrenching incident that turned celebrations into mourning,” according to the BBC. He also raised concerns about the safe use of gas cylinders, which are widely used across the country for cooking and fuel due to low natural gas pressure. Gilani said incidents like the Jan. 11 blast should prompt authorities to take safety responsibilities more seriously and ensure preventive measures are enforced.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, also addressed the incident, offering condolences and calling for attention to safety around gas cylinder use in a statement posted on Facebook in Urdu. The statement said the prime minister “expresses condolences on the loss of precious lives” and “prays for the speedy recovery of the injured.”

Islamabad Police have said the investigation is ongoing.