In a major cylinder explosion at a welding shop on Saturday evening, five persons lost their lives, including three of a family in Kamruddin Nagar in Nangloi area in West Delhi.

According to the eyewitnesses and fire officials, the impact of explosion was such that windowpanes of vehicles within a radius of 50 metres were shattered and around four shops adjacent to the shop reduced to rubble.

According to the police, the cylinder used for welding exploded after a minor fire in the shop.

The deceased have been identified as the owner of the shop Vedpal, his two sons Sonu and Monu. Two workers who also died in the blast could not be identified yet. Around nine persons working in the shops nearby were injured.

The fire department reached the site with eight fire tenders to douse the fire. By the time the police and the ambulances arrived, the five people in the shop where the blast occurred were already dead.

The injured were taken to Sanjay Gandhi Hospital and are being treated. All of them are reportedly out of danger.