LUCKNOW: Five people were killed following a cylinder blast in a house in the Sikandrabad area of Bulandshahr district on Monday, police said.
Additional Director General of Police, Meerut Zone, Dhruva Kant Thakur said due to the explosion, a portion of the house collapsed and some people are feared trapped under the debris.
"We have got information that five people have died and some are trapped under the debris due to an explosion in a colony in the Sikandrabad police station area of Bulandshahr district," Thakur told PTI.
The ADG said a rescue operation is underway.
District Magistrate of Bulandshahr, Chandra Prakash Singh, said the incident occurred in the house of one Riyazuddin in which around 19 people were living.
He said, the cylinder explosion occurred between 8.30 pm and 9.00 pm, adding eight people had been rescued and taken to a hospital.
"Some of them are in a very serious condition," he said, adding that the iron beams of the roof of the house had to be pried open using gas cutters while an excavator was pressed into action to clear the debris.
Meanwhile, police personnel were seen making announcements urging people to move away from the spot and not cause any hindrance in the ongoing rescue operation after a large crowd had gathered there.