8 killed, many injured after explosion reported in Bengal's Patharpratima

One more person injured in the blast at a house in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district died on Tuesday morning, taking the toll to eight, police said.

Seven people, including four children, were killed in the gas cylinder blast that happened at the house in Dholahat in Pathar Pratima on Monday night, they said.

"Sutapa Jana had almost 75 per cent burn injuries and she died at the SSKM Hospital in Kolkata this morning," a police officer said.

The other deceased were identified as Prabhabati Banik (80), Arabinda Banik (65), Swantana Banik (28), Arnab Banik (9), Anushka Banik (6), and two six-month-old babies, Asmita and Ankit, he said.

Superintendent of Police of Sunderban Koteswara Rao said 11 members of the family used to live in the two-storied house where the incident happened.

"(To suggest) that there was a firecracker manufacturing unit running inside the house is wrong. It was a residential building... No firecracker unit was operating there," he told PTI.

"The building is situated in a residential area, and there is no question of a firecracker unit there," he asserted.

Rao said it needs to be examined whether some items found in the house were raw materials for manufacturing firecrackers.

"We will go by the forensic report," he said.

Pathar Pratima's TMC MLA Samir Kumar Jana said the family owned an authorised firecracker manufacturing unit a few metres away from the house.

"They were running the business for quite some time, and I have the information that they had the license. Last night, the blast took place in their house. Probably they had stored some raw materials to manufacture firecrackers there, leading to this disaster," he said.

Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari alleged that the building where the incident happened was a "crude bomb manufacturing unit".

"How many more tragedies will take place before serious action is taken? The DGP @WBPolice must answer why the State of West Bengal is sitting on a pile of crude bombs?" he posted on X.

"Absolutely no accountability for such incidents in WB. The inefficient Police Minister Mamata Banerjee is to be blamed for allowing this to happen," he added.