New Delhi: A family of six members in Haryana's Panipat died in a house fire caused by a cooking gas cylinder leakage on Thursday. The incident took place in the Tehsil Camp area near Bichpari village of Panipat district. As per the police, the house caught fire due to a cylinder leak and the family, which lived in a residential area of the city, had migrated from West Bengal.
The dead included a couple and their four children, news agency PTI reported the police as informing. The victims have been identified as Abdul, 45, his 40-year-old wife, their two daughters aged 18 and 16, and two sons, aged 12 and 10.
"Six have died in this incident. The dead include a couple and their two children," Inspector Phool Kumar, SHO at Tehsil Camp Police Station in Panipat, told PTI.
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The couple used to work in a factory in Panipat.
As per PTI, some neighbours said that they informed the police and fire department when they noticed smoke coming out of the house.
The victims, by the time the rescue team located them, were charred.
"As per the initial investigation an explosion happened due to a gas cylinder leakage. When a family member lit fire to make tea, an explosion took place. Six members died due to suffocation. Post-mortem report will clarify the cause of death," Deputy Superintendent of Police D Kharab, Panipat, said, as reported by news agency ANI.
(With Agency Inputs)