UP: Oxygen cylinder of ailing woman explodes killing six of family

PTI Bulandshahr: An oxygen cylinder kept to aid in the care of an ailing woman exploded in a house in Bulandshahr’s Sikandrabad area, killing her and five members of her family, including her husband and her three-year-old granddaughter. The tragedy that snuffed out the lives of 45-year-old Rukhsana, who had recently been discharged from hospital, her husband Riyazuddin, their three children and granddaughter took place on Monday night.

Their two-storey home, which housed 19 members of the family, collapsed partially due to the blast. On Tuesday, when the bodies were brought back home after the post-mortem, each covered in a shroud, cries of anguish filled the air as hundreds of people gathered outside the family residence in Ashapuri Colony to share their condolences. District Magistrate of Bulandshahr Chandra Prakash Singh said, “A cylinder blast occurred in the Ashapuri colony of Sikandrabad between 8.30 pm and 9 pm leading to the collapse of the entire house.” Two or three others suffered injuries in the incident and the rest were safe, officials said.

Riyazuddin (50), his wife Rukhsana (45), their sons Aas Mohammed (26), Salman (16), daughter Tamannah (24) and her child Hibza (3) died due to the blast. “She had asked me to take her back home after two days,” Tamannah’s husband Rizwan said. He spoke to her last around 5 pm, he said tearfully. “Now, I’m left with the pain of losing my mother-inlaw, father-in-law, brothersin- law, wife and daughter all at once,” Rizwan said.