Cooking gas cylinder blast kills eight in UP

Gonda: Eight people, including three children, were killed and seven others severely injured when a two-storey building collapsed following a cooking gas cylinder blast here, police said on Wednesday.

The incident took place on Tuesday night in Tikri village, they said.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed shock over the deaths and directed officials to provide better treatment to the injured. He asked the district magistrate to enquire the cause of the incident and submit the report to the government at the earliest.

“An LPG cylinder exploded in the house of one Nurul Hasan around 10 pm on Tuesday, which led to the double-storey building to collapse. Eight people died in the incident while seven others were seriously injured,” District Magistrate Markandey Shahi said.

The deceased have been identified as Nisar Ahmad (35), Rubina Bano (32), Shamshad (28), Sairunisha (35), Shahbaz (14), Noori Saba (12), Meraj (11) and Mohammad Shoeab (2).

Superintendent of Police Santosh Kumar Mishra said policemen rushed to the spot after receiving information about the incident.

“Forensic teams are collecting samples from the site and a probe has been ordered into the incident,” he said.

Shahi said the house of Nurul Hasan was completely destroyed while that of his neighbour Somnath Prajapati was damaged. The district administration is extending monetary help to the next of kin of the deceased and affected persons under different schemes, he said

Since the financial condition of the deceased was not good, there is a move to get them help through the Chief Minister’s discretionary fund, the DM added.

Shahi said directions have been issued for a thorough probe into the incident.

Officials said the injured are undergoing treatment in Lucknow.

According to police sources, an ATS team from Ayodhya has reached the spot and is carrying out investigations. The remains of the LPG cylinder have not been found yet, they said.

The family of Hasan was also dealing in firecrackers’ business and there are chances that explosive material could have been present in the house, the sources said. But no police or administrative official has so far issued any statement.

According to Niyaz Ahmed, the brother of Hasan, who lives a little distance away, all the family members had gathered on Tuesday night for dinner. The LPG stove was lit inside the house for making ‘kadha’ in the night and it was when all members were outside that there was a blast and the house collapsed, he added.