SIVAGANGA

In a tragic incident, a 29-year-old woman and her two children – a boy and girl – were charred to death when the cooking gas cylinder exploded at their house at K. Uthampatti near Singampunari in the district on Wednesday.

Police said that the children were having their breakfast and the woman lighted the gas stove for boiling milk around 9.30 a.m. when the cylinder exploded. All the three died on the spot, the police said.

The police identified the victims as K. Chinnammal, 29, Veeran, 5 and Divyadarshini, 3. The body of the girl was found charred beyond recognition.

Chinnammal’s husband Karuppiah, 32, had gone out for some work when the incident took place, the police said. Two side walls of the tile-roofed house collapsed and a portion of the roof was damaged in the impact.

The police, citing preliminary reports, said that the explosion could have happened due to gas leak. Neighbours’ houses, which were a little away, were not damaged in the explosion, the police said.

Fire and Rescue Services personnel from Singampunari and Ponnamaravathi rushed to the village, put out the fire and removed the bodies to Singampunari Government Hospital for post mortem.

Senior police and revenue officials visited the spot and made inquiries. The police have pressed into service technical and scientific teams to ascertain the reason for the cylinder explosion.

A pall of gloom descended on the village as family members and relatives of the victims gathered in front of the house and wailed inconsolably.