At least 20 people including five children suffered severe burns when a plastic bag filled with natural gas exploded in Karak district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Sunday, rescue officials said.

The injured were being moved to different hospitals of Kohat, they added.

According to rescue officials, the condition of the two children were critical and were being moved to District Hospital Kohat.

Amid gas shortage across the country, people have developed ad hoc methods to meet their needs.

Other than using liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders for cooking and heating water during the winter season, extracting gas from a main supply line with a hose and then filling plastic bags like helium balloons to transport them to home is an ad hoc method largely used in the country.