Pakistani children and teacher hurt in gas explosion

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - A Pakistani teacher, school caretaker and 14 children were burned on Thursday when the caretaker checking for a gas leak struck a match and set off a fire ball, a government official said.

The accident happened at a boys' school in Rawalpindi near Islamabad after the teacher and children complained of a leaking gas heater in their classroom. The children, four of whom were in serious condition, were aged 11 to 13.

"The fire broke out due to the stupidity of the sweeper as he struck a match in a room filled with the gas," said district government official Irfan Mohammad Elahi, referring to the caretaker.

A doctor told Dawn Television the children had suffered burns to up to 40 percent of their bodies.

"When the fire broke out I ducked down under my desk. My mates were burning," one boy told the television station from his hospital bed.

(Reporting by Kamran Haider; Editing by Robert Birsel)