Cylinder blast claims 4 lives in Faridabad village

Four persons, including a 12-year-old boy, were killed after the roof of a house collapsed due to a cylinder blast at Bhakri village in Faridabad district in the wee hours on Friday. Two buffaloes were also killed in the mishap while some other family members sustained minor injuries.

According to the police, the deceased were identified as Sarjeet (53), his wife Babita (48) and grandson Nakul (12), and a woman living in the neighbourhood, Laxmi (32), all residents of Bhakri village.

The bodies of all deceased were handed over to their kin after postmortem on Friday. It is learnt that today was Nakul’s birthday.

A senior police officer said a report has been lodged under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and further probe is underway.

According to the police, the incident took place around 2.15 am on Friday, when Sarjeet, his wife Babita and grandson Kunal were sleeping in a room on the first floor of his house and the cylinder burst due to the leakage of gas.

The explosion was so strong that the lintel of the ceiling of the room fell down and all three were buried under the debris. Some debris fell on a woman and her son sleeping on the roof of a neighbouring house. People ran as soon as they came to know about the incident. Meanwhile, it was found that a wall of Sarjeet’s neighbour’s house had also collapsed and the woman was buried under it. She was taken out and brought to the hospital, but could not be saved; while her son was seriously injured.

Following the explosion, the villagers woke up and gathered at the spot. The police and a rescue team reached the spot and started the rescue operation.

With the help of a hydra machine, Kunal and his grandparents’ bodies were pulled out of the debris after an hour of efforts. The injured are undergoing treatment.

Sarjeet’s nephew Bhopal Singh said there was no electricity in the village when the incident happened at around 2 am. It is suspected that gas was leaking from the cylinder when the resumption of power supply caused a short circuit and the cylinder burst.

“We handed over the victim’s bodies to kin after postmortem. However, the cause behind the cylinder blast is yet to be ascertained. We are investigating the matter,” said Inspector Vidya Sagar, SHO of the Dabua police station.