Gas accident
their injuries in hospital, he added.
Tiwari, who led the rescue operation, confirmed the casualty figures.
“All the 18 injured were rushed to the district hospital in Mau where doctors gave them treatment and referred 10 of them to the trauma centre in Azamgarh. Two of the injured, who had received minor injuries, were discharged from Mau district hospital after treatment.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath expressed grief over the incident and directed the district officials to provide proper treatment to the injured.
On getting information, police teams, reached the spot and started rescue operation. Later, a team each of NDRF and SDRF joined the rescue operation. The teams took out the bodies and rescued the people trapped under the debris. NDRF rescuers, along with a dog squad, conducted thorough search at the spot till it was confirmed that no other person was trapped under the debris.
“Doctors have been instructed to provide best possible treatment to the injured,” district magistrate Gyan Prakash Tripathi said.
A senior police officer said an initial probe revealed that there was gas leakage that caused the cylinder blast. He added that five people died of burn injuries they suffered due to blast and the others died after getting trapping in the debris of the buildings.
Neeraj Kumar, a resident of the neighbourhood, said he heard a loud explosion after which flames erupted from the house, which was an old building, and in all three houses collapsed.
Mau district chief fire officer Subhash Kumar Chaudhary said, “The blast was caused by leakage of cooking gas from the cylinder.” He said that a probe will be done to find the exact cause of the gas leakage.
“Chief minister Yogi Adityanath has taken cognizance of the incident and expressed his deepest condolences to the families of the deceased. He also directed officers to provide all possible relief and medical help to the injured,” said additional chief secretary (home) Awanish Awasthi.
Meanwhile, Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief Omprakash Raj b har has demanded compensation worth ₹50 lakh each next to the families of e ach deceased. He al s o demanded ₹25 lakh compensation for each of the injured.