Gas leak triggers explosion in UP’s Fatehpur, nine critically injured

A suspected gas leak inside a two-room house triggered a powerful explosion in Uttar Pradesh’s Fatehpur district late on Sunday night, leaving nine people critically injured, officials said on Monday.

The incident occurred in Pilkhini village under the Kalyanpur police station area at around 9 pm when Kalawati, wife of Santosh Lodhi, was preparing dinner inside the house. According to preliminary investigations, a gas pipe connected to an LPG cylinder began leaking during cooking.

Before the family could detect and stop the leak, the accumulated gas ignited, causing a massive blast and fire inside the house. Officials clarified that the cylinder itself did not explode.

Kalawati was among the first victims caught in the flames. Hearing screams from inside the house, relatives and neighbours rushed in to rescue those trapped in the burning structure. During the rescue operation, several others also sustained severe burn injuries.

Police said six people who were inside the house suffered serious burns, while three others were injured while attempting to save the victims.

The injured were identified as Sajan, Sulekha, Sanjay — reportedly the family’s son-in-law — Sunita, Rita, Soni and neighbour Karan, among others.

Villagers immediately gathered at the scene and helped douse the fire before emergency teams arrived. Police personnel and ambulances later rushed the injured to Malwan Medical College for emergency treatment.

As the condition of several victims deteriorated, eight of the injured were referred to Hallett Hospital in Kanpur for specialised treatment. Authorities also created a green corridor to ensure their swift transfer without traffic delays.

Superintendent of police Abhimanyu Manglik, who inspected the site, said the initial probe pointed to a gas leak as the cause of the incident.

“The preliminary investigation indicated that the incident was caused by a gas leak from a cylinder. The cylinder itself did not explode,” he said.

Manglik added that the district administration was closely monitoring the victims’ treatment and had deployed dedicated police officers in Kanpur to coordinate medical assistance.

“The administration has deputed an inspector and a sub-inspector in Kanpur to ensure the injured receive the best possible treatment. The district magistrate and police administration are continuously monitoring the situation,” he said.

Kalyanpur police station in-charge Sumit Dev Pandey confirmed that all seriously injured victims had been shifted to Kanpur for advanced care.

Police and administrative officials continue to investigate the exact circumstances surrounding the leak and explosion while monitoring the condition of the injured.

With IANS inputs