A family in Punjab's Patiala had a narrow escape on Tuesday after a pressure cooker exploded inside their kitchen. The violent explosion was captured on CCTV camera which showed five members of the family, including a child, in the kitchen when the incident occurred. None of them sustained any injuries.
A 30-second video, captured on a security camera inside the house, shows the kitchen of the two-storey building. It's lunch time and the family was reportedly waiting for 'saag' to be cooked in the pressure cooker. Two women can be seen working in the kitchen while child throws around a ball. A few feet away, a man sits on the dinner table. But the seemingly calm scene soon changes.
Seconds later, the cooker's lid blasts off crashing into the roof, bringing down parts of the ceiling and furniture inside the kitchen. The whole room is covered in thick smoke as the family tries to take cover. A portion of the kitchen chimney lands between the two women as they cover their ears and run out. More people are seen running down the stairs after the explosion.
While the reason behind the explosion is not known yet, the family escaped unhurt. Usually, pressure cookers explode when the whistle is blocked by food and steam does no escape the utensil as it overheats.
In August, a similar cooker explosion killed a 47-year-old woman in Jaipur. Parts of the exploded utensil stuck to her body and face causing severe burns. The woman, who was alone at home when the explosion occurred, was rushed to a nearby hospital by neighbours. She died at the hospital.