Bulandshahr (Uttar Pradesh), Mar 8 (IANS): At least 10 students were injured after a cooking gas cylinder burst at a hostel in the Government Polytechnic College in Bulandshahr's Dibai.

Two students were seriously injured in the incident which took place on Monday.

All the injured students have been sent to a higher medical centre in Aligarh.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Bulandshahr Santosh Kumar Singh said that apart from the students, three canteen workers also received severe burns in the accident, which took place when the food was being cooked.

According to eyewitnesses, the cylinder exploded in the hostel kitchen. Police said that all those who were in the kitchen at the time of the incident received burns.

All the students injured in the blast are between 18 and 24 years of age. Around 55 students were present at the hostel at the time of the incident.

A fire engine rushed to the spot and took around two hours to douse the flames, which destroyed the kitchen and even the pantry area of the institution.

District Magistrate Chandra Prakash Singh and the SSP have announced free-of-cost treatment for those injured.