At least nine people were killed and 21 others were injured after two LPG cylinders exploded at a wedding function in Beawar in Rajasthan's Ajmer district on late Friday night. According to the police, six persons were referred to a hospital in Ajmer while 12 were referred to the district hospital in Beawar.
One Surendra Kumar Parecha had organised wedding celebrations at Kumavat Samaj Bhavan in Beawar for his son's wedding. The guests were staying in a double-storey building. Suddenly, there was a loud blast which brought the entire building down, along with damaging twelve neighbouring houses.
According to some eyewitnesses, the cook was trying to refill the empty LPG cylinder from another cylinder which caused a fire and resulted in an explosion. Post-mortems are being done and the bodies are being handed over to their respective families.
The search for bodies – at least 15 more people – is underway and once all bodies are found, police will begin an investigation into what led to the blast, an official said. The groom’s mother is one amongst the missing.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje has expressed condolences over the incident and called it tragic. She wished a speedy recovery to the injured and prayed for peace to the departed souls.
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