5 killed in cylinder blast in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr, rescue operation underway

Lucknow/Bulandshahr: Five people have been killed and three injured following a cylinder blast which led to a house collapse in the Sikandrabad area of Bulandshahr district, police said.

District Magistrate of Bulandshahr Chandra Prakash Singh said the incident occurred on Monday evening in the house of one Riyazuddin, who was involved in shuttering work, in which around 19 people were living.

Shuttering is the process of giving support and stability to concrete before it becomes solid.

"A cylinder blast occurred in the Ashapuri colony of Sikandrabad between 8.30 pm and 9.00 pm leading to the collapse of the entire house," he said, adding that of the three injured, the condition of one was serious.

Additional Director General of Police, Meerut Zone, Dhruva Kant Thakur said information about the death of five people has been received so far and some were still trapped under the debris.

The rescue operation is still underway, the senior police officer told PTI. The Chief Medical Officer of Bulandshahr confirmed the death of five people in the incident while adding that 10 people were safe.

When asked to describe what type of cylinder had exploded, the district magistrate said it would be made clear following an investigation. Personnel of the NDRF, fire brigade, police, medical and the local administration were involved in the rescue work, he said.

"Chief Minister (Yogi Adityanath) took immediate cognizance of the incident. We were sent to the spot and directions were issued that good quality treatment should be given to the injured persons," the DM said.

About the rescue operation, he said the iron beams of the roof of the house had to be pried open using gas cutters. At the same time, an excavator was pressed into action to clear the debris.

Senior Superintendent of Police of Bulandshahr Shlok Kumar said the bodies have been sent for post-mortem. Although the surviving family members have said that no one was trapped under the debris anymore, the rescue teams are taking all precautions while carrying out their work, he added.