Gas cylinder blast at roadside market kills 8 in Pakistan

QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — A gas cylinder exploded at a small roadside market in southwestern Pakistan on Monday, killing eight people and injuring two others, police said.

The blast took place in Mashkel, a remote town in Baluchistan province bordering neighboring Iran, said Hasil Khan, a local police official. He said mud-brick shops collapsed in the explosion, causing casualties.

Khan said the dead included Afghan refugees. He provided no further details.

Khan said the injured were transferred to a hospital for treatment and officers were still investigating. Explosions of gas cylinders and similar accidents are common in Pakistan, mainly because of the lack of sufficient enforcement of safety standards.

Mashkel is located 150 kilometers (90 miles) west of Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan.