According to the fire brigade, the incident occurred in the morning when 35-year-old Hafiz Nisar Mansuri and his family members were asleep.

Hafiz’s wife Hajrabibi (30) woke up around 7 am and went to kitchen to prepare tea. As soon as she lit the gas stove, the cylinder exploded, causing a fire in the house. The intensity of the blast tore the door and windows apart and flung them on the main road below.

The family members have been identified as Hafiz, his wife Hajra, and children Afraz (12), Sameer (10), Mumtaz (6), Marhaba (4) and Atiba (2).

Hearing the blast, several people gathered at the spot and helped in the rescue operations. Fire brigade officials rushed to the spot and extinguished the blaze.

The Chowk Bazaar police also rushed to the spot, while the forensic science experts took the cylinder for investigations.

Fire officer Rasik Patel said: “We have found that there was cut in the pipe connecting the gas stove and the cylinder. The gas had leaked throughout the night and enveloped the entire room. The room was kept tightly shut due to cold. Hajra was unaware of the leakage and lit the stove as per her daily routine, which resulted in the accident.”