Eighteen persons, including two children and six women, sustained burn injuries in a domestic gas-cylinder blast at Nethaji Nagar in Vaniyambadi Town on Thursday evening around 7 pm. Police said the fire broke out following a gas leak when the house owner Lakshmi (37) and her daughter Vasanthi (18) were cooking. The nozzle and the burner of the stove caught fire. They rushed out of the house and raised an alarm.
The tenants and neighbours immediately rushed in and tried to put off the fire. However, the cylinder exploded, leaving 15 persons with 30 per cent burns. Due to the impact, the concrete roof of the house blew away, police said.
Vasanthi and Lakshmi sustained above 50 per cent injuries and were taken to Government Vellore Medical College Hospital for treatment. Others were being treated at the Government Hospital in Vaniyambadi. Vaniyambadi Town Station registered a case in this regard and are investigating.