Lucknow: Fourth fatality was reported on Sunday in the gas cylinder explosion at an illegal gas storage facility in Dubagga here. The blast, which occurred on Dec 6, left six people, including children, severely injured.
Inspector, Dubagga, Abhinav Verma confirmed that Somnath Vishwakarma (24), a resident of Adarsh Nagar, Mallapur, succumbed to injuries at the Trauma Centre on Sunday. The explosion occurred inside a house in Shahpur Bhamrauli village, where illegal gas refilling operations were carried out by property owner Rohit Gupta.
On the evening of Dec 6, a gas explosion rocked the residence during refilling operations. Among those injured were property owner Rohit Gupta's brothers, Mohit Gupta and Shobhit Gupta, along with Somnath Vishwakarma, Ranjit Chaurasia and two neighbourhood children, Zeeshan and Ayesha, who were playing outside the house.
Ranjit Chaurasia succumbed to injuries during treatment. Later, Mohit Gupta and Shobhit Gupta also died followed by the death of Somnath.
Following the incident, Somnath's father Yogendra filed a case against Rohit Gupta, the operator of the illegal gas facility. Gupta remains at large and is currently being pursued by the police.
This tragedy highlights the dangers posed by illegal gas refilling operations and raises questions about regulatory oversight and safety enforcement in residential areas. Efforts are underway to locate the accused and hold him accountable for this preventable disaster.