12-year-old girl dies, three kids injured in Rajpura house blast
Police say premises were being used to store firecrackers and incendiary material
PATIALA : A 12-year-old girl died while three other children aged between six and 13 received serious injuries in a blast at a one-room house, which allegedly was being used for storing firecrackers illegally, in Rajpura’s Sant Nagar on Saturday.
The deceased has been identified as Manpreet Kaur, the daughter of houseowner Krishan Kumar. The injured were identified as Manpreet’s brother Gurpreet Singh (8), neighbour Krishan (6) and his sister Pallavi (13).
Police said the houseowner was allegedly into manufacturing of firecrackers and had stacked raw material in the house. The blast was so powerful that the roof of the house collapsed, while the walls of several houses in the vicinity developed cracks.
Deputy superintendent of police Gurbans Singh Bains said forensic teams have collected samples from the mishap site. “We are recording the statements of the injured, their relatives and neighbours. It appears that the family had stored firecrackers and its raw material illegally in the house,” he said.
The injured children were rushed to Government Rajindra Hospital from where Pallavi was referred to Post Graduate Institute Of Medical Education And Research, Chandigarh.
Police said houseowner Krishan Kumar and his wife were out when the incident took place around 10.30am.
The DSP said the investigation is on to find out whether the minors were manufacturing firecrackers at the time of the incident. “A case will be registered on the basis of statements of injured and their families,” he said.