Six people were killed and three injured after a cylinder blast which led to a house collapse in the Sikandrabad area of Bulandshahr district, Uttar Pradesh on Monday.
The incident occurred on Monday night in the house of one Riyazuddin, who was involved in shuttering work, in which around 19 people were living, said District Magistrate of Bulandshahr Chandra Prakash Singh. Shuttering is the process of giving support and stability to concrete during construction work before it becomes solid.
"Total six bodies have been brought here in the district hospital for post-mortem, three male bodies and three female bodies. These are the victims of the Sikandrabad tragedy. I can't exactly say the total number of casualties," he added.
"A cylinder blast occurred in the Ashapuri colony of Sikandrabad between 8.30 pm and 9.00 pm leading to the collapse of the entire house," he said.
The Chief Medical Officer of Bulandshahr confirmed the death of five people in the incident while adding that 10 people were safe. When asked to describe what type of cylinder had exploded, the district magistrate said it would be made clear following an investigation.
"Chief Minister (Yogi Adityanath) took immediate cognizance of the incident. We were sent to the spot and directions were issued that good quality treatment should be given to the injured persons," the DM said.
About the rescue operation, he said the iron beams of the roof of the house had to be pried open using gas cutters. At the same time, an excavator was pressed into action to clear the debris.
Senior Superintendent of Police of Bulandshahr Shlok Kumar said the bodies have been sent for post-mortem.
(With PTI inputs)
