A fire and subsequent cooking gas cylinder explosions at Arki in Solan district of Himachal Pradesh, India, killed nine Nepalis from Salyan district. Nine members of two families from Takura in ward 2 of Siddhakumakh Rural Municipality were killed in the incident on Monday, leaving the entire village into mourning.

The victims were migrant workers who had moved to India in search of livelihood. According to relatives and eyewitnesses, the fire broke out while the families were asleep upstairs, above a shop stocked with gas cylinders and household goods. The subsequent explosions left the bodies so badly mutilated that identification became extremely difficult.

The deceased have been identified as Dhan Bahadur BK, 33, his wife Kabita BK, 32, their daughters Radha, 16, and Renuka, 10, and their 22-month-old son Rajan. Also killed were Kashiram Kami, 47, his wife Tika BK, 32, their daughter Anu, 12, and seven-year-old son Kiran.

“Dhan Bahadur and Kashiram lived with their families in rooms above the shop. The fire started suddenly late at night, and when the cylinders began exploding, there was no chance to escape,” said Prem BK, a relative who witnessed the incident from nearby. “All the bodies were torn apart. It was impossible to recognise anyone.”

Prem said that four people, including himself, survived only because they were sleeping in another house close by. “When we heard shouting around 1 am, we rushed out. The staircase leading to their room was already engulfed in flames,” he recalled. “The shop on the ground floor stored many gas cylinders. When they exploded one after another, we ran back in fear. After that, the screams stopped.”

Security personnel from Solan district, along with firefighters, reached the site hours later and began the arduous task of collecting remains. “We heard the sound of 10 to 12 cylinders exploding,” Prem said. “By the time the fire was controlled at around 6 am, everything had been reduced to ashes.”

Man Bahadur BK, younger brother of Kashiram, said the families had migrated to Arki around two and a half years ago after failing to make ends meet back home. “There was no work in the village. Morning and evening expenses became impossible. Three families came together, dreaming of a better life. Kashiram and Dhan Bahadur lived in one house, while I stayed nearby. We worked together,” said Man Bahadur.

He recalled that on the day of the incident, they had worked all day about 100 metres from the market and returned to their rooms around 7 pm. “We cooked quickly and went to sleep. At around 1 am, there was chaos. The fire blocked the stairs. Cylinders started exploding. In front of our eyes, everything was destroyed,” he said with tears. “All dreams ended there. We are numb.”

The tragedy has shaken Takura and surrounding settlements in Salyan. “Not just Takura, the entire area is in mourning,” said Laxmi BK, a local. “Children and elders alike have died. Even relatives at home are unable to speak.” She blamed the lack of employment opportunities at home. “If there were jobs in our own villages and districts, two families would not have lost their lives like this,” she said.

Megha Bahadur Budhathoki, ward 2 chair of Siddhakumakh, said that the rural municipality declared a day of mourning on Tuesday. “The loss of nine people from two households has left us devastated. We are discussing whether and how compensation can be provided to families who lost their members while working abroad,” he said.

Officials are also coordinating with Nepalis in Arki on whether the final rites should be performed there or the remains brought home, once collection is complete.

Thousands of people, driven by poverty and lack of local employment, from Karnali and Sudurpaschim provinces go to various places of India for work. The migrant workers are vulnerable where many live in crowded, unsafe housing with minimal regulation. Many workers die in fires, explosions, floods and landslides each year.