In a terrible tragedy caused by sheer negligence of a cooking gas supply agency, five women of a family were burnt seriously, two of whom later succumbed in a hospital in Hyderabad.
According to police, Azmath Sameena, a nurse, her mother, daughter and two nieces were badly burnt when leakage of gas from lPG cylinder caused a massive explosion in the house in which the roof of the house was shattered completely.
While Azmath Sameena and one of her nieces Hafsa Siddiqa died at Osmania General Hospital on Wednesday morning, Sameena’s mother Masood Fatima, other nieces Azmath Ayesha and Asra Tahseen are fighting for their lives with more than 50 per cent burns.
Hafsa Siddiqa was married only six months ago and her husband Ilyasuddin, who rushed back from Saudi Arabia this morning, collapsed outside the mortuary on seeing her body.
The incident occurred in the house of Ghouse Mohiuddin in Rein Bazar area of old city. “All the male members of the family had gone to mosque for prayers and children were out for tuition when it happened”, said a shocked Ghouse Mohiuddin.
The house was completely gutted in the fire and the cylinder also turned into a lump of metal.
The family members and the local people blamed the HP Gas supply agency for supplying a faulty cylinder. “When the delivery man Dastagir gave the cylinder, women pointed out that gas was leaking. But he threatened that if they return the cylinder they will not get a replacement for one more month”, said Basharath, Sameena’s brother.
As a precaution, they left the cylinder outside. Still the gas leaked and spread into the house. When one of the ladies lit a kerosene stove, it caused the explosion, one of the family members said.
local MlA Ahmad Balala demanded the police to book a case against the gas agency as negligence and dereliction of duty caused such a terrible loss of life. “It can happen to any body. Many people have brought to my notice the increasing negligence on the part of the gas cylinder suppliers,” he said.
The tragedy left the people in the neighborhood shocked and numbed. Hundreds of people had gathered at the Burns Ward of Osmania Hospital and at the mortuary where the bodies were handed over to the family after post-mortem.
“The house which was full of people and laughter of children is now reduced to ashes. We are keeping our fingers crossed about the fate of our three women. Doctors are not too hopeful about their condition”, one family friend said.