New Delhi: A marriage celebration turned into a tragedy as five members of a family were charred to death and four others were injured when an LPG cylinder exploded at a tea stall near a shanty in southeast Delhi’s Okhla Monday night. A call was received around 9.56 pm on Monday, said a senior the Delhi Fire Services officer.
The fire engulfed a shanty located near the tea stall. Four fire tenders were rushed to the spot and the blaze was brought under control by 10.59 pm, he said.
The blast took place when dinner was being prepared for relatives and guests who had gathered for a marriage which was fixed for Wednesday (June 28).
On Monday night, when dinner was being prepared, the LPG cylinder caught fire due to some leakage in regulator and there was a blast.
Eyewitnesses said that the gas cylinder suddenly caught fire and despite attempts to douse the flame it spread quickly. The cylinder then exploded killing two women on the spot. Two other jhuggis also caught fire following the blast.
Locals said the fire brigade arrived at the site more than 45 minutes after the first emergency call was made.
Shobha Singh, who is posted as a security guard nearby, and had alerted the fire department, said, “It is a huge tragedy. A wedding was scheduled to happen here but now there is sadness all around.”
Everyone was pouring water to douse the fire but it kept on blazing, he said. By the time, those who were trapped in the fire were rescued, it was too late, he added.
Five persons, including the groom’s mother and brother, trapped inside could not come out since there was only one entry point to the jhuggi that had caught fire, the police said. Four persons, who tried to save those trapped in the fire, were also injured.
