At least eleven people, including two women and two children, were injured — four of them critically — after an LPG cylinder exploded at a busy marketplace in Bihar’s West Champaran district on Friday afternoon, police said.
According to police, the incident occurred around 12:15 pm at Hanuman Chowk in Lauriya, a crowded commercial area where roadside vendors regularly operate. The cylinder, placed on a hand-pulled cart, exploded while a vendor was preparing food using a cooking gas cylinder, triggering panic among shoppers and passersby.
“In all, eleven people were injured in the explosion,” said Ramesh Sharma, station house officer (SHO) of Lauriya police station.
The injured have been identified as Govind Rai (34), Vinay Kumar Shukla (32), Gulab Patel (25), Premnath Kumar (25), Amarjeet Kumar (30), Nitish Kumar (25), Krishna Thakur (35), Bhool Devi (35), Baby Kumari (5), Sita Devi, and another five-year-old girl — all residents of Lauriya.
Eyewitnesses said a loud blast was heard, followed by chaos as people rushed to escape from the scene. Several nearby stalls were damaged due to the impact of the explosion.
Soon after the incident, police reached the spot and rushed the injured to the local referral hospital. “They were later referred to the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in Bettiah,” the SHO said.
{{/usCountry}}Soon after the incident, police reached the spot and rushed the injured to the local referral hospital. “They were later referred to the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in Bettiah,” the SHO said.
{{/usCountry}}Locals told police that the smell of leaking gas had been noticed since morning before the cylinder exploded.
Krishna Thakur, one of the injured who sustained burn injuries to his face, said he was waiting for food when he was shaken by the explosion.
“I was returning from Narkatiaganj to Lauriya when I was injured,” said Vinay Kumar Shukla.
Further details are awaited as the investigation continues.