Shopkeeper dies in LPG cylinder blast in Trichy

Trichy: A 40-year-old shopkeeper died after sustaining severe burns in an LPG gas explosion at his house in Woraiyur in Trichy on Wednesday.The deceased was identified as A Bashir Ahamed, a resident of TT Road, who ran a grocery shop near his house. Police said Bashir Ahamed woke up around 4 am for prayers and switched on the gas stove to prepare tea before going to the restroom. When he returned to the kitchen and lit the stove, accumulated gas suddenly exploded, engulfing him in flames. Hearing the blast, his wife Wahida Banu, 46, rushed to the kitchen and managed to douse the fire. She immediately admitted him to Trichy Government Hospital, where he succumbed to burn injuries around noon while undergoing treatment. Woraiyur police registered a case under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) relating to an unnatural death. An autopsy was conducted and further investigation is under way.