Three hungry little boys kept tugging at their mother, telling her they were hungry. A pressure cooker sat on the stove and the food was still cooking. In the next instant came a blast so violent that it turned this family's kitchen into a scene of screams and pain. The incident, reported from Bihar's East Champaran district, is enough to shake anyone.
Where and How It Happened
The tragedy unfolded in Padumker village under the Pataahi block of East Champaran. At the home of Dinanath Patel, his wife Trirekha Devi was preparing food in the kitchen. Her three sons — Shivam Kumar, Manpreet Kumar and Ayush Kumar — were standing right beside her, waiting for the meal. Suddenly the pressure cooker on the gas burst with a loud bang, leaving all four members of the family seriously injured.
A Blast Loud Enough to Empty the Neighbourhood
The sound of the cooker exploding was so powerful that people in the surrounding houses rushed out and ran to the Patel family's home. The sight inside left everyone stunned — the mother and all three children were severely scalded and writhing in pain. The hot steam and boiling food released by the blast had landed directly on the faces and bodies of all four, burning them badly. The incident triggered panic across the area.
Neighbours Rushed Them to Hospital
Local residents immediately attended to the four injured and took them to hospital. The mother and her three sons are currently being treated at a hospital in Motihari. Because the hot food fell on them, the woman and the children have suffered severe burns to their faces as well as their hands and legs.
Fear Grips the Area
Following the accident, the affected family is plunged in grief and mourning. At the same time, a sense of fear about pressure cookers has spread through the village and nearby areas. People are now being extremely cautious while using cookers during cooking.
