Four members of a family were killed, and five others injured, in an explosion possibly triggered by liquefied petroleum gas leak at Gopalapuram in Kazhinjur town panchayat near Katpadi on Tuesday morning.
The double storeyed building was razed in the blast that took place at 5.30 am.
Fire and Rescue Services personnel immediately reached the spot and rescued those injured from the debris. They have been admitted to Government Vellore Medical College Hospital (GVMCH) at Adukkamparai.
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The condition of the three was stated to be critical. The dead were identified as Punniyamoorthy (60), his wife Maheswari (58), daughter-in-law Sangeetha (26) and granddaughter Kavitha (2). Vellore Collector C. Rajendran and Superintendent of Police T.S. Anbu visited the spot.
Statutory inquiry
Geetha, Revenue Divisional Officer, Vellore, is holding a statutory inquiry.
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In the Assembly, Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi announced that Rs. 1 lakh each to family members of the deceased and Rs. 25,000 each to the injured.
Law Minister Durai Murugan visited the scene of accident and called on the injured in hospital.
Neighbours said that they heard a loud noise. When they came out, they saw the razed structure. A neighbour said that the grill of her house shook and she could feel vibrations in her house.
Residents of nearby Kazhinjur, about a km away, said that they too heard the noise.