30 injured after Bihar cylinder blast: Police

PATNA: At least 30 people, including seven police officials, sustained burn injuries in a blaze caused by explosion of a cooking gas cylinder in Bihar’s Aurangabad district Saturday morning, police said.

The incident happened due to gas leakage at a house Sahebganj locality when the family members were engaged in making prasad for Chhath Puja, police said.“Ten of the injured, including three policemen, are stated to be critical and have been referred to specialised centres for treatment,” superintendent of police (SP) Kantesh Kumar Mishra said.

The house owner, Anil Goswami,

said gas had started to leak from the cylinder and it went up in flames before the occupants could clear off.

As the flames engulfed the house, locals started fire fighting and a police patrol also reached the spot. As soon as water was sprayed, the cylinder exploded, causing injury to policemen as well as locals.

“By the time we reached there, fire had spread. We tried to extinguish the fire with a water pipe, but the cylinder exploded,” said M Mujaideen, a constable in the police patrol who was also injured.

Town police station sub-inspector Vinay Kunar Singh said, “The sudden blast led to several injuries and a probe in the matter is underway.”