Man killed, three hurt in E-bike battery blast in Nizamabad

HYDERABAD: An electrical motorbike battery got blasted while charging in Nizamabad on Wednesday, in a first of its kind incident in Telangana state, resulting in the death of one person while three others sustained serious burn injuries.

The deceased was identified as octogenarian Balla Rama Swamy. The furniture in his house was also destroyed due to the blast.

According to police, Balla Prakash, a tailor, has been living in Subhash Nagar, along with his sons and aged parents. He had purchased a Pure, electric two-wheeler vehicle, one-and-a-half years ago.

After removing the battery from the vehicle, he used to charge it inside his house regularly. As a regular habit, on the fatal day too, the battery was kept for charging in the main hall, where Prakash’s son Kalyan, parents Rama Swamy and Kamalamma, slept on Tuesday.

On the early hours of Wednesday, Prakash, who along with his wife Krishnaveni, were sleeping in another bedroom, heard a blast and rushed to the hall. Flames and smoke engulfed the hall. All of them rushed out of the house.

They were all immediately rushed to a private hospital in Nizamabad. Since the condition of the 80-year-old Rama Swamy was critical on arrival, doctors advised him to be shifted to Hyderabad.

Rama Swamy succumbed on the way to Hyderabad due to severe burn injuries. His body was shifted to the Government General Hospital for post-mortem in Nizamabad.

Balla Prakash, his mother Kamalamma and son Kalyan were admitted in the hospital with burn injuries. Following a complaint of Balla Prakash, III town police registered a case and are investigating.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Nizamabad assistant commissioner of police A.  Venkateshwarlu said that they had registered a case against the electric vehicle company for providing an inferior quality battery. The condition of the injured persons is stable, he said.

Meanwhile, police and fire services officials visited the victims’ house in Subhash Nagar.