Father-son duo killed in gas cylinder explosion in Jalandhar

Jalandhar, November 10

A 45-year-old man and his 17-year-old son died when a cooking gas cylinder exploded at their house in Satnam Nagar locality here around noon on Friday.

Harpal Singh and his son Jashan died on the spot while Harpal’s wife suffered burn injuries. It is learnt that her condition is critical.

Harpal’s sister Manjit said she was cooking food in the outer area of the house when she heard a blast inside. Manjit said she sounded an alert and their neighbours immediately came for help. Manjit and a three-year-old son of Harpal, who was in the house at the time of the incident, had a miraculous escape.

Nirmal Singh, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), said he visited the house soon after the incident and saw an exploded LPG cylinder. Since the family was engaged in making rubber plates for weights used in gyms, these items too caught fire and there was a big explosion.

Harpal and his son were rushed to the Civil Hospital where they were declared brought dead. Teams of forensic experts collected samples and evidence to find the exact cause behind explosion of the LPG cylinder.

Initially, it was perceived that the incident was the outcome of blast of the refrigerator compressor, but it had been completely ruled out, said Kuldeep Chahal, Commissioner of Police (CP). “Our experts are on the job to find how the cylinder exploded or if there was any malafide attempt to cause an explosion,” the CP said.

This is the second explosion in a house in the city. Earlier, a refrigerator blast killed six members of a family at Anand Nagar near here on October 8.