BULANDSHAHR: Six people died and three were injured following an oxygen cylinder blast which led to a partial house collapse in the Asha puri colony of Sikandrabad area in Bulandshahr district, officials said on Tuesday.
The deceased were identified as Riyazuddin alias Raju (50), his wife Rukhsana (45), Salman (16), Tamanna (24), Hivja (3) and Aas Mohammed (26).
District Magistrate of Bulandshahr Chandra Prakash Singh said the incident happened on Monday evening in the house of a man named Riyazuddin, were 19 people including women and children, were living. He said eight residents were taken to the hospital while others were safe.
The oxygen cylinder along with its accessories was brought by the family to help in the post-hospitalisation care of Riyazuddin’ s wife who was recently brought back from a hospital after undergoing treatment for an ailment.
Additional Director General of Police, Meerut Zone, Dhruva Kant Thakur said that upon information, police and fire security personnel came to the spot and started the rescue operations immediately.
Personnel of the NDRF, medical team and the local administration were also involved in the rescue work, he said.
“Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed officials to provide good quality treatment to the injured, Kant Thakur said.
He also added that 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.
On Tuesday morning, Senior Superintendent of Police of Bulandshahr Shlok Kumar told PTI that the rescue operation had been completed. Although the surviving family members have said that no one was trapped under the debris anymore, he added.
“The cylinder, its nozzle, etc have been recovered from the debris.The bodies have been sent for post-mortem and further investigation are underway,” the district police chief told PTI.
