The children were playing in the verandah. In a few moments the smile on their tender faces vanished. A pall of gloom descended on the village.

The blast in a five-portion house at Bhavanipuram on the city outskirts this morning did not leave anyone inside alive. The only survivors were children playing outside or men who had gone out to the market.

An entire family was wiped out. Besides, six children lost their lives. Four persons in the family of Konda Venkatrami Reddy survived. His son, Krishna Reddy, died, while his wife Ademma is hospitalised. Rami Reddy is missing.

The second portion of the house is occupied by Venkat Reddy, a clerk in a cement company. He and his wife Vanaja, son Bharat and daughter Bharati were all killed.

Venkateswara Reddy, a kerosene dealer, also did not escape theclutches of death. Two of his three children died. His wife Adilakshmi is in the hospital.

The whereabouts of a family of four, which came to Reddy's house to spend the Sunday with them is not known. All members of Gaddala Vengal Rao's family, except his daughter, died. The site turned into a virtual sea of humanity with thousands of people rushing in. The local police had a hectic time controlling the surging crowds and keeping the tempers down.

The survivors were too shocked on seeing their dear ones lying in pieces strewn all around and the property they assiduously built up over the years shattered to smithereens. They did not react for quite some time. But once the wailing started, it was uncontrollable.