13 including 2-year-old hurt in cylinder blast in Assam’s Kamrup
Local residents said most of the labourers and their families were asleep in their tent when the blast took place around midnight
SILCHAR: At least 13 brick kiln workers and their family members were injured when an LPG cylinder used by them to cook meals exploded in Assam’s Kamrup district on Thursday night, police said.
The incident took place in Kamrup’s Pakora Kona area around Thursday midnight.
The victims were taken to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) where three persons including a woman and a two-year-old child are said to be in a serious condition. Most of them have sustained burn injuries.
Local residents said most of the labourers were asleep in their tents when the blast took place.
“We heard a blast and rushed to the tent when we saw several persons including women suffering from injuries. We called the police,” they said.
Police said the victims were initially taken to a local hospital which referred them to GMCH over 50km away.
Officials said about 16 people were taken to the nearby health facility. Some of them had sustained minor injuries and were discharged after first-aid. Thirteen of them were later shifted to GMCH for treatment.
Police said that they were yet to determine the reason behind the explosion. “We are investigating it, our initial findings revealed that some people were cooking food when the LPG cylinder exploded,” an official said.