Nepal, Jan. 13 -- Nine members of two families from Takura, ward 2 of Siddha Kumakh Rural Municipality in Salyan, died in a fire and a cooking gas cylinder explosion in Arki, Solan district, Himachal Pradesh, India.

The incident occurred on Sunday night while the families were asleep. Relatives identified the deceased as 33-year-old Dhan Bahadur BK; his wife, 32-year-old Kavita BK; daughters Radha and Renuka BK; son Rajan BK, 47-year-old Kashiram BK, 32-year-old Tika BK, 12-year-old Anu BK, and 7-year-old Kiran BK.

According to relative Prem BK, the families lived in a room above a shop, and the explosion destroyed the bodies, making identification difficult. Four other family members, including Rajendra and Gangaram BK, were sleeping n...