Chennai, Nov 23 (BPNS)

 Five persons including a fire force personal were killed when a gas cylinder exploded at a residence in the early hours of Tuesday.

Three houses collapsed in the blast and seventeen people were injured in the accident other than the five dead. R . Padmanabhan with the Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue force was one among those who lost his life after being trapped in the debris. He was living in the adjacent house where the gas cylinder burst.

When the houses collapsed people were trapped in the debris and Fire and Rescue personal from Shevapat Fire force office rushed to the spot and launched the rescue operation.

Rajalakshmi (80) died in the hospital while four other bodies were recovered from under the debris. The bodies of Devi wife of Padmanabhan, Karthik Ram, and Ennammal were recovered from the debris and sent to Salem Government hospital for postmortem.

The owner of the house where the gas cylinder blast happened, Gopi is critical and admitted to Salem Government medical college hospital. Those who were rescued with serious injuries and admitted to the hospital are Pooja Sri, Ganeshan, and Sudharshan.

Except for the fire force officer Padmanabhan and his wife Devi who died trapped under the debris, the rest of those who died in the accident are close relatives.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, M.K. Stalin, and leader of the opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami expressed their condolences to the families of those who died in the accident.