16-year-old girl killed in explosion at her house in Hardoi

HARDOI: A 16-year-old girl was killed while two others were injured in a blast that reduced two buildings to rubble in Hardoi district located barely 100 km from the state capital. The police are yet to ascertain whether a cylinder caused the blast or manufacturing of fire-crackers. A unit of the forensic department and a team of Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) also visited the spot to collect samples to probe the cause of the blast.
Police said that villagers informed about a blast around 1.30 pm in Beniganj police station and when a police team reached the spot it found body of one Haseena ripped off, while two others sustained injuries who are currently undergoing treatment at the district hospital.
Superintendent of police (Hardoi) Alok Priyadarshi told TOI that prima facie it appears that Haseena of Pratapnagar area was alone at her residence when an LPG cylinder exploded. The cascading effect of the blast was such that her whole house was reduced to rubble.
Priyadarshi also added that the victim’s father, Noor Mohammed, works as a fire-cracker manufacturer so possibility of a fire cracker blast could also not be ruled out.