Kanpur (UP): Nine members of a family, including a seven-month-old infant, sustained severe burn injuries after a suspected LPG leak triggered a fire in a house in Uttar Pradesh's Fatehpur district, an official said on Monday.
The incident took place at around 8 pm on Sunday in Pilkhini village under Kalyanpur police station area while food was being cooked at the residence of Santosh Singh.
According to the police, gas leaked from a domestic LPG cylinder during cooking, leading to a blast that quickly engulfed the two-room house in flames.
The injured were identified as Rita (35), Sanjay (21), Soni (9), Kalavati (35), Karan (26), Sajan (17), Sulekha (11), Sangita (25), and Sangita's seven-month-old child. All suffered serious burn injuries.
The police and ambulances rushed to the spot and shifted the injured to a primary health centre in Gopalganj. They were later referred to a hospital in Fatehpur.
"Considering the critical condition of eight injured persons, they were subsequently referred to a higher medical centre in Kanpur. A green corridor was created to ensure their swift transfer and immediate medical attention," Superintendent of Police (Fatehpur) Abhimanyu Manglik said.
The SP said preliminary investigation indicated that the blast was caused by leaked gas igniting inside the house and not by the cylinder exploding.
District Magistrate Nidhi Gupta Vats and senior police officials visited the site and later met doctors treating the victims.
The SP further said that the condition of the injured is being closely monitored, and police personnel have been deployed to assist the families and coordinate their treatment.