The residence of Kanti Devi at Keshari Nagar. Picture by Ranjeet Kumar Dey
A 42-year-old woman was killed when an LPG cylinder burst at her rented accommodation at Ajanta Colony (Keshari Nagar) on Sunday.
The incident occurred around 11 am when the victim, Kanti Devi, was cooking food for her husband Lalbabu Singh and two minor children at her home under the jurisdiction of Patliputra police station. The gas suddenly started leaking from the cylinder, which was later engulfed in flames.
Apprehending trouble, the woman made an attempt to flee from the spot but the cylinder exploded, causing grievous injuries on her head. She died on the spot.
Police said her two children - Priti (12) and Pritam (10) - were in another room and were safe. Her husband was not at home during the blast. Two fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the flames.
Patliputra police station house officer (SHO) R.K. Dubey said preliminary investigation revealed that the woman was preparing meal when the blast occurred because of leakage of gas from the cylinder. 'Her body has been sent to Patna Medical College and Hospital for post-mortem,' he told The Telegraph.
Dubey said several neighbours of Kanti rushed to her home hearing the deafening sound of the blast. They immediately sent her to a nearby hospital, where the doctors declared her brought dead.
'A case of unnatural death has been lodged in this connection,' the SHO said.
The police said the victim lived with her husband, a daily wager, and two children on rent in the house of one Ranjit Singh.
This is the second incident of LPG cylinder explosion in the town within a month. A similar incident was reported from Anandpuri in late November, in which the entire building was damaged. But no one was killed in the explosion.
A source said in both the incidents small cylinders exploded. 'Such cylinders are not considered to be safe for use. The state government recently gave its nod to the sale of small cylinders but the facility is available just at one place. Most people are not aware of it and they rely on the services of some small shops which fill these cylinders using the regular domestic LPG cylinders,' an investigating officer said.