Dubai: Three Emirati young men suffered serious burns injuries when their vehicle exploded after one of them flicked on a lighter to smoke inside the car.
Police said the explosion was fuelled by the butane, an explosive substance found inside cigarette lighters, that they were inhaling inside the vehicle.
The incident follows rigorous warnings by police not to take part in the activity which caused at least six other explosions in cars in UAE in the first six months of this year, police said.
Captain Dr Mohammad Ali Al Qasim, Director of the Criminal Engineering Section in the General Department of Forensic Science and Criminology at Dubai Police, said the incident happened during Ramadan.
“One of them turned on a lighter to smoke a cigarette when the gas exploded and the three young men suffered second degree burns and injuries to their face and hands,” Captain Al Qasim said.
He said the explosion damaged the windows of the car and amazingly the three walked away from the incident.
He warned young people of the danger of inhaling lighter gas.
“Our experts witnessed six accidents of inhaling lighter gas during the first half this year and it caused injuries,” Captain Al Qasim said.
He said most of the accidents happened in cars but there was one incident in a villa.
He said the age of people inhaling the gas is between 14 and 24 years old and that their parents must look after them and educate them about the dangers.
Police said inhaling butane can lead to death via asphyxiation, where the inhaled fumes take up the space in lungs, leaving no room for oxygen, suffocation from breathing in an enclosed area, convulsions, comas or seizures due to abnormal activity in the brain, and choking on one’s own vomit.
