Amar Colony blaze kills 2,injures 10

“I was in the park opposite the house. I heard the blast and came running with my elder brother Nasser. He tried to enter the basement and was injured,” said Yaseer Ahmed,Mushtaq’s youngest son.

A police officer said the injured have told the police that the blast occurred when Mushtaq threw away the butt of a cigarette he was smoking.

Mushtaq’s wife Nazima Altaf also suffered 50 per cent burns. The injured have been admitted to the Safdarjung Hospital. Six vehicles were also reportedly damaged due to the impact of the blast.

Seven fire tenders were rushed to the spot. They could douse the fire only by 1 am on Wednesday.

The fire engulfed the entire first and second floors. The family living on the first floor of the building was rescued by the neighbours.

“Everyone was shouting,I got scared and started crying. I was really concerned about my family. I tried taking the staircase to come down,but there was smoke all around and I could not see anything. My daughter went to the terrace and jumped across to the adjacent building,” said Sunita Arora,a resident of the first floor.

“Mushtaq succumbed to his injuries at 9 am today. Mukeem’s body was recovered from the debris this afternoon,” said Chahal. A case has been registered against unknown persons. Reporter is a student of Express Institute of Media Studies