UP: Oxygen cylinder explodes; ailing woman, pregnant daughter among 6 of family dead
Bulandshahr (UP), Oct 22: An oxygen cylinder kept to aid in the care of an ailing woman exploded in a house in Bulandshahr's Sikandrabad area, killing her and five members of her family, including her husband and her three-year-old granddaughter.
The tragedy that snuffed out the lives of 45-year-old Rukhsana, who had recently been discharged from hospital, her husband Riyazuddin, their three children and granddaughter took place on Monday night. Their two-storey home, which housed 19 members of the family, collapsed partially due to the blast.
Rukhsana's daughter Tamannah who lost her life in the accident was nine-month pregnant, her husband Rizwan said.
Citing the postmortem report of the six deceased, Chief Medical Officer of Bulandshahr Dr Vinay Kumar Singh said one of the women was pregnant.
The last rites of the six deceased were held on Tuesday afternoon.
When the bodies were brought back home today after the postmortem, each covered in a shroud, cries of anguish filled the air as hundreds of people gathered outside the family residence in Ashapuri Colony to share their condolences.
District Magistrate of Bulandshahr Chandra Prakash Singh said, "A cylinder blast occurred in the Ashapuri colony of Sikandrabad between 8.30 pm and 9 pm leading to the collapse of the entire house."
Two or three others suffered injuries in the incident and the rest were safe, according to officials.
Riyazuddin (50), his wife Rukhsana (45), their sons Aas Mohammed (26), Salman (16), daughter Tamannah (24) and her child Hibza (3) died due to the blast.
"She (Tamannah) had asked me to take her back home after two days," Rizwan said. He spoke to her last around 5 pm, he said tearfully.
"Now, I'm left with the pain of losing my mother-in-law, father-in-law, brothers-in-law, wife and daughter all at once," Rizwan said.
Talking to PTI Videos, neighbours and first responders described the chaos that unfolded after the explosion.
Asif, who has lived next door for 18 years, said, "I heard a sound that felt like something had exploded. I ran outside and saw locals rushing to help. It was chaos, with people inside the house needing to be pulled out."
The explosion created a red flash, followed by darkness in the house. We had to use our mobile phone torches to navigate the thick dust while trying to rescue anyone trapped inside," another neighbour said.
NDRF officer Neeraj Singh, who oversaw the on-ground rescue and relief operations, said the relief work by local police and administration had already started at the site by the time his force reached.
Surface victims had been moved to safety when the NDRF arrived. The NDRF's operations lasted about three hours, Neeraj Singh said.
"We used methods of canine search, technical search, physical search, etc. as per our procedures to make sure no live victim was left behind in the rubble until the civil authorities called off the operations," Singh told PTI Videos.
Personnel of the NDRF, fire brigade, police, medical and the local administration were involved in the rescue work, Additional Director General of Police, Meerut Zone, Dhruva Kant Thakur said.
DM Singh said the iron beams of the roof of the house had to be pried open using gas cutters. An excavator was also used to clear the debris, he said.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took immediate cognisance of the incident and directed officials to visit the spot and ensure good treatment to the injured, the DM said.
Senior Superintendent of Police of Bulandshahr Shlok Kumar told PTI that the rescue operation was completed on Tuesday morning. The cylinder, its nozzle, etc. have been recovered from the debris, he said.
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GT buy Washington Sundar for Rs 3.20 crore; Prithvi Shaw, Shardul Thakur go unsold
Jeddah, Nov 25: Flamboyant Indian opener Prithvi Shaw and seam-bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur failed to find any takers but Washington Sundar was bought by Gujarat Titans for Rs 3.20 crore on the second day of the IPL mega auction here on Monday.
Also going unsold were New Zealand batting stars Kane Williamson and Glenn Phillips.
South African veteran Faf du Plessis and West Indies' Rovman Powell were bought for Rs two crore and Rs 1.50 crore by Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders respectively, but seasoned India batter Ajinkya Rahane went unsold.
The unsold players can find buyers later in the day during the accelerated auction if their names are given by the franchises.
