Mathura (UP), March 29 A woman narrowly escaped an explosion of a gas cylinder in her house in the Bhogaon village, under the Chhata area here, on Sunday morning, police said.
The explosion damaged the structure, although no casualties were reported, they added.
Manoj, a local and a relative of the woman, said that his sister-in-law, Ramvati (35), had placed tea on the stove around 5 am and stepped out to feed cattle when the cylinder exploded with a loud blast. The explosion caused the kitchen and adjoining room to collapse.
Just an hour before the explosion, his four nephews and nieces had been sleeping in the adjoining room but had moved to the roof of another room due to a power outage, narrowly escaping the blast, he added.
Ramvati, who has been raising the children on her own after the death of her husband Digambar Singh, said that all her household belongings, clothes and food items were buried under the debris and destroyed. She appealed to the authorities for financial assistance.
Revenue department officials visited the spot, assessed the damage, and assured that a report to the district administration would be sent for potential financial help.