Three of family die of burns a week after gas cylinder explodes at home

Chennai: A week after suffering burns in a fire accident caused by a gas cylinder leak at their house, three people of a family died on Tuesday. They had been receiving treatment at Govt Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital. The accident took place at their house on 15th Street in Gandhinagar at Kovilambakkam near Medavakkam, on March 5.
Police identified the deceased as Munusamy, 65, his daughter Shanthi, 40, and son Hariharan, 25, who worked as a driver. Munusamy's wife, Rani, 58, is still battling for life at the hospital.
Police said the cylinder had been left open on March 4 night and gas had spread throughout the kitchen while the family members were asleep.
Early the next morningmorning, when Shanthi entered the kitchen to prepare breakfast and switched on the light, the cylinder exploded. On hearing Shanthi's cries, Rani, Hariharan and Munusamy rushed to help her.
All of them suffered severe burns in the incident. On hearing their screams, some of their neighbours called for emergency services and a 108 ambulance took them to Chromepet Govt Hospital. Later, they were shifted to KMC Hospital for their treatment.
The Medavakkam police have initiated an investigation into the incident.