Bhopal: 13 injured, three critical as gas cylinder explodes

Bhopal: As many as 13 persons, three seriously, including a 62-year-old woman sustained burn injuries after a cylinder exploded in a slum area located near Fracture hospital on Monday morning.

The incident occurred at the house of Raju Bai, 62 in Gautam Nagar slum area under the limits of Habibganj police station. The woman’s two sons live in two other houses next to hers.

At around 11:30 am, the widow was trying to light up a gas stove when cylinder caught fire. Hearing the woman’s shrieks, her granddaughter Aarti, 21, who lives in adjacent house rushed to her help. Seeing cylinder in flames, she sounded alert and called other family members. While the neighbors and others were coming to douse the blaze, the gas cylinder exploded. However, before the people could understand anything, second explosion took place leaving many injured and completely damaging the house.

Mahesh Rao, son of the injured woman, said that when the cylinder caught fire it burst. And while the people were dousing the flames, the cylinder exploded again for the second time causing burn injuries to many.

All the victims were rushed to hospitals. Condition of Aarati amd two others is stated to be critical. They are undergoing treatment at JP hospital while 7 other victims were admitted to Hamidia hospital. Habibganj police, however, claimed that there was only one explosion in the cylinder the intensity of which was very high. Police have registered a case.