DM orders magisterial probe in Mau blast, house collapse

Varanasi: In a LPG cylinder blast that razed two houses killing 13 persons and injuring 18 others at Validpur under Muhammadabad Gohana police station of Mau district on Monday morning, three women suffered burns but managed to rush out.

Hearing cries and noticing smoke, locals present at a nearby tea kiosk rushed to douse fire, but the LPG cylinder exploded.

The massive explosion triggered the collapse of the two-storey house of Vishwakarma and the adjacent residence of Ram Balak Madhesia, both constructed in 1980-82.

The blast rocked Validpur and within minutes locals collected and started removing debris to rescue the trapped.

Mohammadabad Gohana police rushed to the site and alerted senior officials. Police and fire fighters took over the rescue operations with the assistance of locals.

Mau DM , Gyan Prakash Tripathi, and SP, Anurag Arya, also arrived at the site to monitor rescue operations.

The DM imposed prohibitory orders under section 144 to prevent unnecessary crowding that would hamper rescue work and ordered a magisterial probe into the incident.

The injured were rushed to Mau and Azamgarh district hospitals while four were referred to BHU Trauma Centre in Varanasi.

Azamgarh divisional commissioner, Kanak Tripathi, and DIG Azamgarh range, Manoj Tiwari, also reached the spot.

“The area was cordoned off and people were evacuated from nearby buildings as precautionary measure. Four persons died at Mau hospital while one succumbed at Azamgarh. Twelve bodies are in Mau mortuary and one is at Azamgarh,” said DIG Manoj Tiwari.

SP Mau, Anurag Arya, said the 13 killed were identified as Surendra Vishwakarma (40), Imtiyaz (26), Murti Devi (50), Shilpa Vishwakarma (25), Sarita Vishwakarma (22), Anshu Kanojia (18), Zeeshan (16), Yasin Ali (10), Shivam Yadav (10), Nidhi Vishwakarma (10), Sujit (9), Abhishek (9) and Sunita (30).

“Sanjana, undergoing treatment at Mau hospital, said her mother Rita changed the cylinder but when she ignited the stove leakage started and flames erupted,” he added.

The DIG has set up three separate teams under chief fire officer, CO Muhammadabad Gohana and CO crime to investigate the case.

Mau SP told TOI. “Among the 13 casualties, six died on the spot while others succumbed during treatment,” said Arya.

CM Yogi Adityanath took cognizance of the incident and expressed deep condolences to the families of the deceased. Yogi also directed the DM, SP and other senior officers to provide all possible relief and medical help to the injured. UP ministers Anil Rajbhar and Upendra Tiwari visited the incident site and met the injured.