Gilgit (Pakistan), Aug 04: A judge will investigate an explosion in northern Pakistan that killed 47 villagers and wounded 150 others, an official said today. The blast was caused by dynamite stored in a contractor's house that caught fire early yesterday morning in the village of Gayal, 300 kilometers east of Gilgit.
Many of the victims were fighting the fire, possibly sparked by an electrical short circuit, when the explosives detonated, officials have said.
The dynamite was to be used to build a state-funded water channel. Investigators have been asked to determine if the contractor had legal permission to store the explosives and whether the material was being properly handled, government official Ghazanfar Hussain said. The judge in charge of the investigation, ordered by Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali, has not been named, Hussain said.
The blast destroyed or damaged nearly half of the 100 homes in the village. Some witnesses described seeing a fire ball, while others said a flood of fire swept over homes.

Construction companies often use explosives to clear land for roads and other projects in the scenic Gilgit region, home to K-2, the world's second-tallest peak.

Bureau Report