2 dead, 3 injured after cylinder explosion

Two women died and three persons sustained injuries when an LPG cylinder exploded at the kitchen of their residence in South-west Delhi’s Palam area on Wednesday.

The deceased persons were identified as Usha (45) and her mother-in-law Satyawati (75). Among the injured were Usha’s husband Rishi Agarwal, daughter Neha, and son Saurabh, said a senior police official. Usha’s youngest son, Gaurav, escaped unhurt with the help of neighbours.

The incident took place around 6.10 am, following which four fire tenders were rushed to the spot and all the members were rushed to a hospital, where two were declared dead on arrival, said the official. The injured persons were later referred to Safdarjung Hospital, where Rishi Agarwal’s had to be admitted with severe burn injuries, said the official. Meanwhile, it took more than an hour for the fire fighters to douse the flames, following which a cooling operation was launched, said a fire official.

The Agarwals live in the second floor of a four-storey building at Saadh Nagar locality in Palam. Rishi Agarwal, who is a businessman, had rented the apartment around four months ago, police said.

Preliminary investigation revealed that there was a potential leakage in the LPG cylinder which exploded after Usha lit the stove on Wednesday to make morning tea for the family members.

Satyawati rushed towards the kitchen to rescue Usha, following which she too got trapped in the fire and failed to escape, said a police official. By the time, the other family members could react, the fire spread within the apartment. The fire was controlled before it could spread to the neighbouring premise. However, several houses nearby witnessed cracks on the walls by the impact of the cylinder explosion, police added.