Seven people, including four children and two women, lost their lives in a gas cylinder explosion at a house in Pathar Pratima, located in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district, on Monday night, a senior police officer confirmed.
The incident took place around 9 pm in Dholaghat village of Pathar Pratima block. According to Sunderban Police District Superintendent Koteswara Rao, all the bodies have been recovered, and one injured woman has been rescued and admitted to hospital, news agency PTI reported.
STORY | 7 people, including 4 children, killed in gas cylinder blast in Bengal
READ: https://t.co/9t9uCOSzy8
VIDEO |
(Source: Third Party)
(Full video available on PTI Videos – https://t.co/dv5TRAShcC) pic.twitter.com/f9rFioqQIh
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) March 31, 2025
“Police suspect that there were two gas cylinders in the house, and the blaze spread after firecrackers stored inside went up in flames,” Rao told PTI.
News agency PTI and IANS shared visuals from the site of the explosion, which was initially believed to have been caused while making firecrackers.
South 24 Parganas, West Bengal: A powerful explosion occurred while making firecrackers in Patharpratima under, Dholaahat police station limits, resulting in the death of two people and leaving several others seriously injured pic.twitter.com/AjVoNOt6dS
— IANS (@ians_india) March 31, 2025
Gas Cylinder Blast Triggers Fire at Varanasi Market; No Injuries Reported
In a separate incident, a gas cylinder explosion sparked a fire at a night market near Varanasi Cantt railway station on Monday morning, damaging multiple shops, police said. However, no casualties were reported.
Sigra police station house officer Sanjay Kumar Mishra stated that the explosion occurred near pillar number 59 in front of the railway station. “Upon receiving information, firemen and police rushed to the spot and doused the flames after some effort,” Mishra said, as per PTI.
While several shops suffered damage in the fire, no injuries or loss of life were reported, police added.
