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At least seven people died and an equal number injured after a cooking gas cylinder explosion triggered the collapse of two adjacent buildings in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, officials said on Wednesday.
The blast occurred in one of the two houses in Tikri village in the state's Gonda district on Tuesday night, when a family living there was cooking.
The powerful explosion caused the collapse of the house and the adjacent building as well, killing at least seven people, including two women and three children, on the spot and injuring seven others, officials said.
Rescue efforts are ongoing as officials fear that more people could be trapped in the debris of the two buildings. The injured have been admitted to a local government hospital, officials said.
"We received a call about a cylinder blast that made the roof collapse of house. With the help of the police force and local people we started rescue operations," district police chief Santosh Kumar Mishra told the media.
"So far, some 14 people have been pulled out of the debris, seven of them have been declared dead and seven others are undergoing treatment at a hospital," he added.
A probe has been ordered into the explosion, the police chief said.