India, Nov. 27 -- At least 20 people were injured, 18 of them in critical condition, after a leaking LPG cylinder exploded, triggering a fire in the Charbazar area of Assam's Sribhumi district on Wednesday night, police said.

Locals said they first noticed gas leaking from a domestic cylinder inside a house.

The cylinder caught fire after coming into contact with a spark, triggering a sudden blaze that severely injured several residents who were trying to drag the cylinder out of the house.

"The moment the gas touched a spark, it burst like a fireball. People standing nearby were engulfed within seconds," a local resident who helped take the injured to the hospital said.

Locals, however, managed to prevent the flames from spreading to...