Jalandhar blast toll rises to six, family matriarch lone survivor

Five members of Ghai family died in sleep when fridge compressor snag sparked off LPG cylinder explosion in kitchen engulfed their house on Sunday night; one member breathed his last in hospital on Monday.

The morning after five members of his family died in an explosion at their house in Jalandhar’s Anand Nagar, Inderpal Singh, 42, succumbed to burn injuries in a local hospital.

Smoke billowing from the house in Jalandhar’s Anand Nagar on Sunday night as neighbours look on. (HT Photo)

Inderpal was admitted to the hospital in a critical condition after the blast at his house around 11pm on Sunday.

Police said the family was asleep when a snag in the compressor of a new fridge in the kitchen led to the LPG cylinder nearby catching fire. Within seconds, the fire spread and led to the death of five members. They were identified as Inderpal’s father Yashpal Ghai, 70, his wife Ruchi Ghai, 40, and children Mansha, 14, Diya, 12, and Akshay, 10.

Ashok Sareen, a BJP leader from Jalandhar, said Inderpal was a party member and had received severe burn injuries and breathed his last on Monday morning. “A family of six has died together in such a tragic incident. The lone survivor is Inderpal’s mother, who was away at a relative’s place,” he said.

Deputy commissioner of police Ankur Gupta said forensic teams have gathered evidence from the spot to assess the cause of the fire. “The matter is being investigated from all angles,” he said.

Investigating officer Hardev Singh said, “A blast occurred in the fridge, which resulted in the release of gases, which subsequently got ignited. Inhaling of the gases proved fatal for the five family members.”