Amethi (UP), Dec 17 (PTI) A powerful blast ripped through a house on the Bhader-Jamo road, killing a 37-year-old man and injuring another, police said on Wednesday.
The blast, suspected to be a cylinder explosion, occurred around 10 pm on Tuesday in a building owned by Shiv Mahesh Pandey.
The impact of the blast was such that the 60 X 50 building with five shops on the ground floor was turned into rubble in no time, locals said.
Police identified the deceased as Satish Chand Tiwari from Bastidei village under Gauriganj Police Station, and the injured man as Balram Chand Pandey from Jamo.
Pandey, under treatment at the district hospital in Gauriganj, said he ran a cold drink warehouse in the building, and had gone to the godown at night to check accounts kept inside.
"I was unlocking the gate when a massive explosion took place, collapsing the entire building. Beyond this, I have no information," he told police.
Jamo SHO Vinod Kumar Singh said prima facie it appeared to be a gas cylinder explosion.
He said Pandey's claim is being verified, and police are trying to put together a sequence of events.
"The exact cause of the explosion and the circumstances leading to the death are under investigation," the SHO said.
Locals said the blast blew the shutters of shops up to around 50 metres away.