Pregnant woman, her two kids die in cylinder blast

A pregnant woman and her two children were killed in a fire that broke out following a cylinder blast in their building in Vikhroli on Saturday. According to fire officials, the incident took place around 3.30pm.

The victims have been identified as Mehmood Belim (8), Mehraj Belim (15) and their mother Salma Belim (40). "We got a call around 3.30pm. The cylinder blast had led to a fire that had engulfed the upper floor of the two-storey building. There was no place for them to escape," a fire officer said. Salma's husband Salim was not at home at the time of the incident. Her third child was also not at home, as she had gone for tuition.

The structure was located near the last bus stop on Road No 03 at Parksite in Vikhroli (W). "The ground floor housed a mattress shop while they lived on the upper floor. This is where the cylinder blast took place. The fire was doused in a few hours. Cooling operations were carried out too," the officer added. The three victims were rushed to the civic-run Rajawadi hospital, where they were declared dead on arrival.

"The woman was pregnant. The cylinder blast also led to a short circuit. There was no chance of rescuing them. The only way to leave the house was through the mattress shop on the ground floor. They had rented out the place recently. We have made alternate arrangements for the family to stay now. We will give them all the help that is needed," said local Nationalist Congress Party corporator Haroon Khan.