5-yr-old among five hurt in cylinder blast

New Delhi, July 17 

Five people, including a five-year-old girl, were injured on Wednesday after two shanties in West Delhi’s Moti Nagar caught fire apparently due to an explosion in a gas cylinder.

The fire department said they received a call about fire at 8.20 am, following which six fire tenders were rushed to the spot. The fire was brought under control within 10 minutes, it added. According to police, five people were injured in the incident. Among them four belonged to the same family, they added. 

Preliminary investigation by the police and the fire department found that the shanties caught fire after an LPG cylinder burst when it was being refilled, Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Monika Bhardwaj said. 

However, locals told the police that a leakage in the gas cylinder could have led to the fire, she said, adding that a probe is underway to ascertain the exact cause of the incident. 

Mohammad Chhotu (45) sustained 60 per cent burn injuries, while his wife Samoa Begum (40) sustained 100 per cent burn injuries. Mohammad Shahban (25) sustained 40 per cent burn injuries and his five-year-old daughter Muskan sustained 90 per cent burn injuries, said the police. 

Mohammad Sadiq (24), who was also injured in the incident, sustained 65 per cent burn injuries, they added. 

Bhardwaj said a case has been registered and three injured, who suffered critical injuries, have been shifted to Safdarjung Hospital. —PTI