7 killed as Bengaluru building collapses after cylinder blast

Seven persons, including two women, were killed when a two-storey building collapsed here on Monday after a cooking gas cylinder explosion, police said.

One of the two women killed in the blast was pregnant, officials said.

Two children, aged 12 and 3, were among eight others injured in the accident that occurred between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. in Ejipura area.

"An LPG cylinder exploded on the ground floor, leading to the building's collapse which left several people trapped in the debris. Seven bodies have been recovered," a police official told IANS here.

The injured were admitted to hospitals near the locality.

The deceased were identified as Maladri, 25, Pavan Kalyan, 19, Prasad, 18, Ravichandran, 46, Kalavathi, 68, Saravana, 27, and Ashwini, 22, the official said.

Bengaluru Urban Development Minister K.J. George, who visited the site, told reporters that Rs 5 lakh as ex gratia would be paid to the families of each deceased.

"We will give Rs 50,000 each to the injured," he said. "We are looking into the reasons behind the blast."

Karnataka Home Minister R. Ramalinga Reddy also visited the site and said: "The building is at least 15 to 20 years old. People living in the building were asleep when the incident took place."

--IANS

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