Indore Blast :LPG Cylinder Explodes During Illegal Refilling,11 Filled Among 18 Cylinders Recovered From Shop, 2 Workers Suffer Burns | FPJ
Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Two people were injured in a massive explosion at a shop where liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) was illegally being transferred from large cylinders to smaller ones. The police arrested the shop owner after registering a case against him for attempted culpable homicide.
The incident occurred at around 11 AM near Musakhedi Square in Azad Nagar police station area on Tuesday. The explosion was so intense that it caused panic among local residents and shopkeepers. Due to the fire triggered by the blast, two workers in the shop suffered severe burns and are currently undergoing treatment.
After a similar incident earlier, the district administration had taken action against illegal gas refilling and seized several cylinders. However, the illegal activity continued.
Around 18 large and small gas cylinders, including 11 filled cylinders, were recovered from the shop where the explosion took place.
Additional DCP Alok Kumar Sharma said that the incident took place at Sunny Yadav’s shop in Musakhedi. The shop was illegally refilling gas from large LPG cylinders into smaller ones when a cylinder suddenly exploded, causing a fire. Workers Lucky Nayak (18) and the shop owner’s nephew Manoj Yadav (36) suffered severe burns and were rushed to hospital. Shopkeepers nearby and local residents attempted to douse the fire with water before the fire brigade arrived and extinguished it. Fortunately, no other cylinder caught fire, preventing a bigger tragedy.
A case was registered against Sunny Yadav, who operates the shop, under section 110 (Attempt to commit culpable homicide) of BNS, and the food department team too reached the spot to initiate action in the matter, Sharma added.
Azad Nagar police station in-charge Vijay Singh Sisodiya said that injured Lucky Nayak told the police he worked in Disha Bartan Bhandar in Indra Ekta Nagar. “On Tuesday, I arrived at Sunny Yadav’s shop, located in Disha Bartan Bhandar, at 9:30 am. Sunny Yadav asked me to transfer gas from a 14-litre gas cylinder to a smaller one using a gas filling machine in the godown on the first floor of his shop. He was fully aware that the gas transfer could lead to an explosion and fire, potentially resulting in loss of life. Despite this, he instructed me to refill a smaller cylinder one using the machine. At the time, the electricity supply was on in the godown. Suddenly, a fire broke out, followed by an explosion at around 11:00 AM. As a result, I suffered burns and blisters on my body, head, face, chest, both hands and both legs, with my skin peeling off.
His kin Manoj Yadav, who was also coming out of the godown, suffered burns and injuries on both hands and his back due to the gas fire.
Sunny Yadav was getting the gas transferred using the gas filling machine without any license or permission. After the explosion, the locals rushed me to MY Hospital for treatment, where I am currently undergoing medical treatment.”
Blast throws shop’s shutter on road, nearby shops damaged
The impact of the explosion was so severe that the shop’s shutter was thrown onto the road, leaving the entire shop in disarray. The blast also shattered the glass of nearby shops and a rickshaw. Rajesh, a local resident, said he was at home with his children when he heard the explosion. “The entire house shook and it felt like an earthquake. We rushed outside with our children. The impact was so strong that household items fell off the shelves,” he said.
Worker suffered burns earlier too
Local residents claimed that the illegal gas refilling had been taking place at the shop for years. Two months ago, worker Lucky suffered burns on both legs in a fire.
Local resident Sapna Yadav said, “This shop was operating under the guise of a utensil shop and had been illegally refilling LPG cylinders for a long time. Despite our protests, the operator did not stop.” She added that an explosion had occurred in the shop earlier too.
