A blast kills 5 including a woman and 2 minors and 7 critically injured in their rented home in Madhya Pradesh’s Morena district.
The house in Madhya Pradesh’s Morena district was where they lived and part of which was used to store firecrackers, police said. They were dwelling within this district’s Banmore town and the blast happened in the morning, police said.
Morena superintendent of police Ashutosh Bagri said the four were identified as Pappu Mawai, 45, Anno Khan, 35, and her two children, Joya and Nafeez. They died on the spot and seven other people have been taken to the hospital in serious condition. A fifth individual succumbed in Gwalior where those hurt have been admitted at a government infirmary.
Collector Bakki Karthikeyan, SP Ashutosh Bagri, and other officers rushed to the scene where a rescue and relief operation commenced rapidly. Numerous locals assisted in bringing victims out from under the debris. The place – located beside Jaitpur Road – is owned by Sarpanch Bhoora and was taken on rent by Jameel Khan who stored the firecrackers. The cause of the blast – which also damaged adjacent houses – is being investigated. Annu was Khan’s spouse.
The incident took place in the Banmore area of Morena, 400km from the state capital Bhopal, at about 11 am.
Bagri said one of the victims told the police that his wife was cooking when the incident took place. It is not clear if the fire started from their kitchen and spread to other parts of the house where firecrackers were stored.
The cause of the fire is still not clear, he said, adding that portions of the house also collapsed due to the impact.
It is yet to be determined if the explosion was due to the gas cylinder or the firecrackers.