Mumbai: Eight hurt in cylinder blast in Santacruz

The 10-by-10 feet room sustained heavy damage in the blast. Pic/Anurag Ahire

Eight persons were injured after a fire in a ground-plus-one structure in Santacruz caused a Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinder to explode in the early hours of Saturday morning.

According to officials from the Mumbai Fire Brigade, the incident occurred at around 6 am. on Saturday in the Filter Gully on Gazdhar Bandh Road. The road has several informal settlements formed by people working in garment manufacturing units. Officials said that fire started due to leakage in a gas pipe in a 10 by 10 feet structure in the area, and was confined to electric wiring, electric installation and clothes.

"One of the occupants of the structure, Kalicharan Kanojiya, who is deaf and mute, tried waking up the others. People from nearby structures, too, rushed to help. Even as efforts to put the fire out by pouring water were underway, the LPG cylinder exploded," said ADFO SN Talekar. According to Sanjay Agaldare, former corporator of the area, the blaze is believed to have started after some garments caught fire when someone turned on a stove for cooking.

A total of eight people were injured in the fire, of which Nikhil Das, Rakesh Sharma, Anthony Thengal, Kalicharan Kanojiya, Shan Ali Siddiqui and Samsher have been admitted to the Bhabha Hospital in Bandra with burns and other injuries. Meanwhile, a woman, identified as Sangita, has been admitted to the orthopaedic ward for a fractured leg, while another woman, who sustained minor injuries, refused to be hospitalised.