The family of Dhan Bahadur BK and Kashiram BK of Siddhakumakh-2 Takura, Salyan, lost their lives in a cylinder explosion while praying after a fire broke out in the middle of the night.
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Nine Nepalis have died in a cylinder explosion that followed a fire at another market in Solan district of Himachal Pradesh, India. The family of Dhan Bahadur BK and Kashiram BK, from Takura, Siddhakumakh Rural Municipality-2, Salyan, died on Sunday midnight.
The cylinder exploded while they were crying for their lives in the room after the fire broke out in the middle of the night, said Nepali Samaj Bharati General Secretary RB Khadka. According to him, the BK family was sleeping on the top floor of the house of local Rajiv Gupta, while there were gas cylinders and other items in the shop on the ground floor. The cylinder exploded after the fire broke out in the shop.
33-year-old Dhan Bahadur BK, his wife Kavita, daughters Radha and Renu, and 22-month-old son Rajan died in the accident. 47-year-old Kashiram BK, his wife Tika, daughter Anu, and son Kiran also lost their lives. Eyewitness Prem BK informed that their bodies were in a condition that makes it difficult to identify them due to the explosion. ‘My family, Rajendra BK, Gangaram BK, and another person were sleeping in a nearby house. We ran away after we suddenly realized that there was a fire in the middle of the night,’ he said.
The deceased Kashiram’s brother Man Bahadur was also in another house nearby when the fire broke out. ‘We all worked in the same place. On Sunday, we had worked all day and returned to our room at 7 pm. We were exhausted after working, so we cooked and ate and then went to sleep,” said Man Bahadur. “In the middle of the night, we suddenly heard a commotion, saying there was a fire. When we came out, my brothers were on fire on the stairs leading to the bedroom.”
While the fire was burning in the shop, he heard my brothers and others screaming from inside. “While I was going to get water to put out the fire, I heard the sound of a cylinder exploding, and the sound of my brothers and family screaming stopped,” he said. Man Bahadur said he heard the sound of 10/12 cylinders exploding.
According to him, others who were sleeping in the back room of the house where the fire broke out jumped to save their lives. According to Man Bahadur, the locals were unable to extinguish the fire because it was so big. A team of security personnel with fire engines only came at around 6 am to put out the fire. After that, the bodies were burnt and dismembered at the scene.
‘We came here as a family of 6-7 with the dream of earning two or four paisa,’ he said, ‘We used to come and go before. Today we had to face such an unimaginable incident.’ Dhan Bahadur, Kashiram and Man Bahadur along with their families had last reached Himachal two and a half years ago. They worked as wage laborers there. On Sunday, they worked a hundred meters from another market.
Local Laxmi BK said that the news that 9 people, including children, died while going abroad to earn money was shocking. ‘The government could not arrange employment in the district,’ she said, ‘they had to lose their lives prematurely while going to work.’
The municipality has declared a mourning holiday on Tuesday. According to Siddhakumakh-2 ward chair Megh Bahadur Budhathoki, since the bodies are being collected, discussions are underway on whether to cremate them there or bring them home. He also informed that discussions are underway regarding whether the local government will provide compensation to the close relatives of the deceased.
