4 hurt as LPG explosion rips house

Gas leaked the whole night as regulator was switched on

Four people sustained injuries in a gas explosion at a house on RA Road near Annayappa Garden in Ejipura, central Bangaluru, on Sunday afternoon.

The incident occurred in the house of Muddassir, 29, who works in a private company in Indiranagar. Muddassir, who lives with his wife, Soma Biswas, 25, cooked dinner on Sunday and left the cylinder regulator switched on. Gas leaked from the cylinder the whole night and settled on the floor.

The couple went to bed late in the night and woke up in the afternoon. Around 1 pm, Muddassir was the first to go into the kitchen. As he lit a match, the explosion not only ripped the building but also a car parked in front of the house.

Muddassir suffered 70% burns and is critical. His wife suffered 25% burns. The couple’s neighbour, Sushma, 28, and Nandu, 25, suffered gashes but their condition is stable. Sushma works in a bank while Nandu is an electrician.

The four had rented homes in the two-storey building named ‘Shalom Mansion’, owned by one Mathew who lives a block away. The injured were initially rushed to St Phelomena’s Hospital and thence to St John’s Hospital for treatment. A spokesperson for St John’s Medical College Hospital said Muddassir was being treated in the intensive care unit (ICU).

Police said Soma had been unwell the previous night. In a statement to police, she said she was asleep and woke up when the blast took place.

Residents initially speculated that it was a bomb blast as the cylinder remained intact. Forensic examination, however, concluded that it was gas explosion. A police source said the cylinder remained intact as gas had fully leaked. Once gas settles on the floor, there is not much odour and the couple did not detect it. The windows in the house were also closed and there was no circulation of air, the source said.

Bengaluru Police Commissioner N S Megharikh, who inspected the house, said forensic science experts as well as members of bomb detection and disposal squad besides sniffer dogs combed the area and concluded that it was gas explosion.

“There is no need to panic. Those spreading rumours will be booked,” he warned. A case has been registered at the Viveknagar police station and investigation is under way.