Explosion injures five, turns portion of building into rubble

Venkat had rented out the building to five tenants. The injured are Eeramma (45), her daughter Prema (20), Shafi, Bhupendra (25) and Gaurav (24). The explosion occurred in Eeramma’s house on the ground floor. Bhupendra and Gaurav, who were staying on the rear side of the first floor, sustained burns, while Shafi who was staying on the first floor too was injured.

The fire services personnel said that they got the call around 6 am, and four officials were rushed to the spot. The blast had not triggered a fire. The fire personnel rescued the injured who were caught under the debris and rushed them to a hospital.

“It was a loud blast, and it was unlike a gas cylinder explosion. The impact was so high that the walls turned into rubble. What raised our suspicion is that it did not trigger a fire, as is the case with gas cylinder explosions. The first floor of the house caved in, injuring Eramma and Prema,” said a senior police officer. “Eeramma fractured her spine, while Prema fractured her left arm, and both have suffered burns,” he said.

Though preliminary investigations revealed that it was a gas cylinder blast, the police did not rule out foul play. Crime branch men were sent to the spot to ascertain the cause of the blast. They met the victims in the hospital to ascertain whether the blast was caused by a domestic LPG cylinder. “We have confirmed that the blast was due to a leaking domestic gas cylinder and nothing else,” the investigating officer told Deccan Chronicle. Officials from the Forensic Sciences Laboratory also visited the spot and picked up clues.