<p>Hubballi: A father and a son, along with an orphaned youth and bread earners of their family, are among those injured in an explosion following an LPG cylinder leakage at Eshwar Temple at Achhavvana Colony in Sainagar area in the City on Monday early hours.</p><p>Nine Ayyappa Maladharis suffered critical burn injuries after the LPG cylinder leakage resulted in the fire mishap. Soon after the incident, they were shifted to Karnataka Medical College-Research Institute (KMC-RI) for treatment.</p><p>According to locals, around 14 devotees were worshiping Ayyappa Swamy at a room on the first floor of the Eshwar Temple.</p><p>On Sunday night, after performing pooja, nine devotees stayed on the first floor, and five devotees and a few locals were sleeping on the ground floor of the temple.</p><p>Soon after the fire broke out on the first floor, other devotees and locals, who were on the ground floor rushed to the first floor and rescued nine devotees who were critically injured.</p><p>Manjunath Jadimath, an eyewitness, said soon after the fire caught on the first floor, six persons ran out of the room with fire, and three others got stuck in the room. Other devotees and locals, who were sleeping on the ground floor of the temple, rushed to rescue them.</p><p><strong>Families in deep shock</strong></p><p>Prakash Barker (42) and his son Vinayak Barker (12) sustained 91% and 25% burn injuries respectively. A devotee of Ayyappa Swamy, Prakash was wearing Ayyappa Swamy Mala for the last 11 years, and his son was wearing it for the last three years. His family was in a deep shock after both of them were injured in the mishap.</p><p>Shankar Rayangoudra (27) has sustained 99% injuries. He was an orphan and was under the care of his aunt and uncle. Jannabai, his aunt, said he used to take care of the entire family and was working as ward boy in KMC-RI for the last few years.</p><p>Other injured Sanjay Savadatti suffered 89% burns, Praveen Chalavadi (86%), Ajjaswamy (86%), Tejawar Reddy (74%), Raju Harlapur (74%), and Manjuanth Torad suffered 70% burn injuries.</p><p>According to Vidyanagar police, the cylinder might have fallen when one of the sleeping devotees pushed it accidentally while sleeping in the congested room, resulting in leakage of gas.</p><p>The gas might have caught fire from the lamp that was lit for their worship.</p><p><strong>Suspend CMO</strong></p><p>Union Minister Pralhad Joshi and Deputy Commissioner Divya Prabhu GRJ visited the hospital. Relatives of the injured persons complained that doctors at the hospital negligently attended and asked them to buy medicine from the private pharmacies in the night.</p><p>Joshi directed KMC-RI Director S F Kammar to suspend the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for showing negligence in attending the injured patients. KMC-RI is a big hospital and it is not acceptable for pharmacies to be locked in the night and ask the attendants to bring medicine from outside at night. Joshi also directed Kammar to file a criminal case against the pharmacy in-charge for locking the pharmacy at night.</p><p><strong>Committee formed</strong></p><p>KMC-RI Director Kammar said an expert team headed by Plastic Surgeon Raveendra Yaligar have been treating the injured victims. If required, they will seek help from specialists from other institutes too.</p><p>Reacting to the allegations, Kammar said, they will form a committee headed by Dr Ishwar Hasabi and Dr Rajashekhar Dyaberi to investigate the allegations.</p><p><strong>Ex-gratia</strong></p><p>MLA Prasad Abbayya, who visited the hospital, said he will seek ex-gratia from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund for the victims. </p><p>Congress leaders Altaf Halwoor and Anilkumar Patil visited the hospital and announced Rs 10,000 ex-gratia to each injured person from Santosh Lad Foundation.</p>
<p>Hubballi: A father and a son, along with an orphaned youth and bread earners of their family, are among those injured in an explosion following an LPG cylinder leakage at Eshwar Temple at Achhavvana Colony in Sainagar area in the City on Monday early hours.</p><p>Nine Ayyappa Maladharis suffered critical burn injuries after the LPG cylinder leakage resulted in the fire mishap. Soon after the incident, they were shifted to Karnataka Medical College-Research Institute (KMC-RI) for treatment.</p><p>According to locals, around 14 devotees were worshiping Ayyappa Swamy at a room on the first floor of the Eshwar Temple.</p><p>On Sunday night, after performing pooja, nine devotees stayed on the first floor, and five devotees and a few locals were sleeping on the ground floor of the temple.</p><p>Soon after the fire broke out on the first floor, other devotees and locals, who were on the ground floor rushed to the first floor and rescued nine devotees who were critically injured.</p><p>Manjunath Jadimath, an eyewitness, said soon after the fire caught on the first floor, six persons ran out of the room with fire, and three others got stuck in the room. Other devotees and locals, who were sleeping on the ground floor of the temple, rushed to rescue them.</p><p><strong>Families in deep shock</strong></p><p>Prakash Barker (42) and his son Vinayak Barker (12) sustained 91% and 25% burn injuries respectively. A devotee of Ayyappa Swamy, Prakash was wearing Ayyappa Swamy Mala for the last 11 years, and his son was wearing it for the last three years. His family was in a deep shock after both of them were injured in the mishap.</p><p>Shankar Rayangoudra (27) has sustained 99% injuries. He was an orphan and was under the care of his aunt and uncle. Jannabai, his aunt, said he used to take care of the entire family and was working as ward boy in KMC-RI for the last few years.</p><p>Other injured Sanjay Savadatti suffered 89% burns, Praveen Chalavadi (86%), Ajjaswamy (86%), Tejawar Reddy (74%), Raju Harlapur (74%), and Manjuanth Torad suffered 70% burn injuries.</p><p>According to Vidyanagar police, the cylinder might have fallen when one of the sleeping devotees pushed it accidentally while sleeping in the congested room, resulting in leakage of gas.</p><p>The gas might have caught fire from the lamp that was lit for their worship.</p><p><strong>Suspend CMO</strong></p><p>Union Minister Pralhad Joshi and Deputy Commissioner Divya Prabhu GRJ visited the hospital. Relatives of the injured persons complained that doctors at the hospital negligently attended and asked them to buy medicine from the private pharmacies in the night.</p><p>Joshi directed KMC-RI Director S F Kammar to suspend the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for showing negligence in attending the injured patients. KMC-RI is a big hospital and it is not acceptable for pharmacies to be locked in the night and ask the attendants to bring medicine from outside at night. Joshi also directed Kammar to file a criminal case against the pharmacy in-charge for locking the pharmacy at night.</p><p><strong>Committee formed</strong></p><p>KMC-RI Director Kammar said an expert team headed by Plastic Surgeon Raveendra Yaligar have been treating the injured victims. If required, they will seek help from specialists from other institutes too.</p><p>Reacting to the allegations, Kammar said, they will form a committee headed by Dr Ishwar Hasabi and Dr Rajashekhar Dyaberi to investigate the allegations.</p><p><strong>Ex-gratia</strong></p><p>MLA Prasad Abbayya, who visited the hospital, said he will seek ex-gratia from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund for the victims. </p><p>Congress leaders Altaf Halwoor and Anilkumar Patil visited the hospital and announced Rs 10,000 ex-gratia to each injured person from Santosh Lad Foundation.</p>
