A suspected LPG cylinder explosion unleashed devastation in South Delhi’s Madanpur Khadar JJ Colony, engulfing a family residence in flames and injuring three. Reported on February 21, the event has authorities scrambling for answers on prevention.
The PCR tip to Kalindi Kunj station prompted an urgent response to DD No. 13A, where firefighters quelled the inferno as police orchestrated evacuations. The blast’s ferocity reduced parts of the home to rubble.
Stricken were 52-year-old laborer Jagdish, his 48-year-old wife Lakshmi, and 26-year-old Jotish, Noida-based salon worker. Asleep at the time, they awoke to an explosive nightmare, fleeing amid searing heat.
Jagdish and Jotish got prompt transport to LBS Hospital; Lakshmi, worst hit, went to AIIMS before all reached Safdarjung Burns. Vital signs hold steady for the pair, but Lakshmi’s prognosis remains dire.
FSL experts and crime branch personnel scoured the sealed premises, collecting samples for lab scrutiny. FIR proceedings advance, targeting potential negligence in gas handling.
Beyond the immediate toll, this underscores systemic flaws in slum gas distribution. Advocacy groups decry lax enforcement, urging mandatory inspections and awareness drives to shield vulnerable households from such perils.