Five people, including three women, were killed after three buildings collapsed following a cooking gas cylinder explosion in a house in Karungalpatti in Tamil Nadu's Salem early on Tuesday, November 23. A total of 12 people, including a five-year-old girl, caught in the debris were rescued and admitted to the Government Hospital, with the condition of one person said to be critical, police said. According to the police, a cylinder exploded at the house of Padmanabham, who is a special fire station officer, at Salem’s Bandurangan Street.
Visuals from the spot showed that due to the impact of the blast, the house had completely collapsed. Two people who were passing by the house on the road were also injured after parts of the building that were flung due to the impact of the explosion fell on them while they were walking by. Five neighbouring houses were damaged in the incident.
Several rescue workers have been deputed to clear the debris at the site, after the house collapsed due to the massive explosion that occurred at Padmanabhan’s house. A neighbouring house has also completely collapsed due to the blast, reports say. The explosion that rocked the area left several people trapped under the debris of the two homes that collapsed.
When the cylinder exploded, initially, five people, including Padmanabhan, his wife Devi and son Lokesh were trapped under the debris. They were later reduced safely by fire and police personnel. Another family, including a man named Ganesan, his wife Lakshmi and mother Amsaveni were also rescued from under the debris by rescue workers.
District Collector Karmegham and top police officials rushed to the spot and supervised the rescue operations by Fire and Rescue Personnel, members from National Disaster Response Force and police department. A search is on to locate missing persons trapped under the debris. The injured people have been rushed to the Salem government hospital and are undergoing treatment there.