Gonda (UP), Jun 2 (IANS): As many as eight people died after a gas cylinder exploded here, causing two adjoining houses to collapse.

The incident took place on Tuesday night in Wazirganj police circle.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has expressed grief over the incident and directed the officials to ensure proper treatment of the injured persons.

According to reports, a total of 15 persons were buried under the debris and eight of them were later rescued. They have been admitted to a local hospital.

Eight bodies were taken out from the debris. The deceased include two women, two men and four children.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Santosh Mishra said that the blast in the gas cylinder took place during cooking in the house of one Nurul Hasan. The impact of the explosion was so intense that even the adjoining house was damaged.

A forensic team has also been called in to collect samples.

All the bodies have been sent for post mortem and further investigations are underway.