At least five people died and several others were injured when a house collapsed following a loud explosion at a village in Ayodhya this evening. Several people are still feared trapped under the debris and rescue work is in progress.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has asked senior officials to go to the spot, ensure proper medical treatment for the injured, and oversee the rescue and relief operations. The injured have been sent to the district hospital.
The blast had sounded alarm bells, coming a day after a scooter blast in Kanpur in which eight people were injured. But initial reports indicated that the blast could have been a firecracker
explosion. The police now say it could have been a gas cylinder blast.
A forensic team has reached the spot. The District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police are present at the scene.
“It seems it was a gas cylinder blast or a cooker blast in a kitchen. but we can be definite only after forensic tests,” said Nikhil Tikaram Funde, the District Magistrate of Ayodhya.
“The news of the death of 5 people due to the blast in Ayodhya is extremely heartbreaking. Immediate arrangements should be made for the proper treatment of the injured, and an investigation into the matter should be conducted,” read a post by Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.