6 killed, 13 injured as building collapses due to gas explosion in northern India

At least six persons have been killed and 13 others injured after a building collapsed due to an explosion that was triggered by a gas leak in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur town Wednesday, a senior police official said.

"The explosion took place inside a cold storage facility in Kanpur's Shivrajpur area and within minutes the building collapsed. Six bodies have been pulled out of the debris of the building. The death toll may go up as some are suspected to be still trapped inside," a police official said.

Local TV channels showed footage of rescuers using gas cutters to reach those still feared to be trapped under the debris of the building and reported that there was leakage of ammonia gas which led to the explosion and subsequent building collapse.

"While the six were declared brought dead at a state-run hospital, the 13 injured are currently undergoing treatment. All of them were laborers working in the cold storage facility," the police official said.

A probe has been ordered into the incident, he added.

Source: Xinhua