House collapses in Faridabad after cylinder explosion, 4 dead

Gurugram: Four people died when their house collapsed following a cylinder explosion in Faridabad’s Bhakri village on Friday morning, police said, adding that several other family members also suffered minor injuries.

Investigators identified the deceased as Sarjeet Singh (53), his wife Babita Devi (48), his grandson Nakul Kumar (12) and Laxmi Kumari (32), a neighbour. The bodies of the victims were handed over to the family after post-mortem examinations were completed. According to police, it was the 12-year-old boy’s birthday on Friday.

The incident took place around 2:15 am when Sarjeet, Babita and Nakul were sleeping on the first floor of their house. A gas leak in the room resulted in a huge cylinder explosion that led to the roof of the house collapsing. The family was buried under the rubble, police said.

Laxmi, who was sleeping with her son on the roof of the adjacent house, was also hit by debris from the explosion. She was extricated and taken to a hospital but could not be saved, police said.

Two cattle also died in the blast, they said.

A senior police official confirmed that a case under IPC Section 194 (neglect with explosive substances) has been registered and further investigations are underway.

According to Bhopal Singh, Sarjeet’s nephew, the village suffered a power cut shortly before the incident. When power was restored, it may have triggered a short circuit that led to the explosion due to gas leaking from the cylinder, he said.

Residents, along with police and rescue workers, rushed to the scene after the explosion. Rescue efforts continued for more than an hour before the bodies of the deceased were pulled from the rubble.

“We handed over the bodies to the family after the post-mortem. The exact cause of the cylinder explosion is yet to be ascertained and investigations are ongoing,” said Vidya Sagar, SHO of Dabua police station.