Gas cylinder blast kills boy, parents critical

Their recently purchased two-bedroom flat turned out to be the house of death for the Singhs on Monday, a day after the housewarming ceremony.

Renith Joseph, aged 6, succumbed to burns sustained when a gas cylinder exploded around 7 on Monday morning, when his mother Sherin Singh (36) lit the stove for making coffee. The mother and child suffered 90% burns, while Renith’s father, Cedrey Singh (45), has been hospitalised with 60% burns. Sherin’s condition was stated to be very critical.

The boy died in the St John’s Medical College hospital, where he had been on ventilator support for about seven hours. Renith was a first standard student of Cambridge Public School in HSR Layout.

Singh, a production planning manager with the Madura Garments, had bought the flat at Brundavan Presidency apartments in HSR Layout police station limits a month ago. The family had spent the night at their new flat after the housewarming ceremony.

Police inspector LY Rajesh said that the explosion was caused by a leak in the tube connecting the cylinder with the stove. “The tube was old and had cracks at one end. Sherin apparently lit a matchbox without noticing that the gas had leaked.” Renith and Singh had followed Sherin into the kitchen before the cylinder went off.

John, who stays in the adjacent flat, said he rushed to Singh’s home after hearing the explosion around 7am. “The front door was ripped open and smoke was bellowing out of the kitchen. I found the three lying on the kitchen floor. The child and mother were completely burnt and were unconscious. We rushed them first in a car to St John’s and then took Singh in another car,’’ he said.