4 including 3 minor siblings injured in cylinder blast in northeast Delhi

    New Delhi, May 31 (PTI) Four persons, including three minor siblings, were seriously injured after a CNG cylinder exploded at a godown in northeast Delhi's Sunder Nagri area on Saturday afternoon, an official said.
    The explosion occurred around 4:30 pm at a storage-and-repair unit, when the cylinder reportedly burst during a repair operation, he added.
    The injured have been identified as Sakib (7), who has sustained 90-per cent burns, Abbas (9), who has 85-per cent burns, and Raja (3), who has sustained 85-per cent burns -- all three sons of Afsar -- and Arshad (22), who has sustained 70 per cent burns, the official of the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) said.
    Arshad was working inside the godown at the time of the incident. Two fire tenders were rushed to the spot following information about the blast, the official said.
    "Preliminary findings suggest that CNG cylinders were being stored and repaired at a shop on the ground floor of a four-storey residential building. One of the cylinders reportedly burst during a repair operation, triggering a powerful explosion," he added.
    Police said the blast was so intense that it shattered the iron gate of the godown, with debris hitting the three children who were playing nearby.
    The injured were immediately shifted to the Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) Hospital, where they are undergoing treatment. Their conditions are stated to be serious but stable, police said.
    Though no fire followed the blast, the shockwave caused considerable damage to the godown structure and some nearby properties, the DFS official said.
    Crime and Forensic Sciences Laboratory (FSL) teams visited the site and collected evidence. The facility was reportedly being used for unauthorised storage and repair of old CNG cylinders.
    Legal action has been initiated against the owner of the godown. Relevant sections of law are being invoked and further investigation is underway to ascertain if the repair activity was in violation of safety regulations, police said.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)