Woman, 4-year-old son killed in Poonch LPG cylinder blast
A woman and her minor son were burnt alive after an LPG cylinder caught fire and exploded at their kutcha house in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district on Thursday, officials said.
The incident occurred in Chandimarh village of the Surankote subdivision.
The deceased were identified as Hamida Begum, 40, and Aqib Ahmed, 4.
Three other family members, including the woman’s husband and two children, narrowly escaped the blast and subsequent fire.
At least two buffaloes also died in the incident.
“Prima facie, it appears that there was a gas leak and a short-circuit in live wires triggered the blast,” an official said. Surankote deputy superintendent of police Tanveer Jeelani said a major rescue operation has been launched.