Cylinder blast at refill facility in Manesar causes panic

Following the incident, the plant shut operations for two hours, the police said. Also, no injuries were reported.

An oxygen cylinder exploded while being refilled at a facility in Manesar around 5.30pm on Tuesday, following which the plant, located in Sector 7, shut operations for two hours, the police said. Families of Covid-19 patients alleged that hospitals asked them to shift their relatives to other facilities as they did not have sufficient oxygen supply left.

The police said the blast took place around 5.30pm, when a cylinder was being refilled.

Even as officials of the district administration refuted allegations that the incident affected oxygen supply, hospital managements and residents said they were left in the lurch. No injuries were reported in the incident.

Bharti Joshi, a resident of Sector 4, said that she received a call from Shri Guru Gobind Singh Tricentenary Hospital located in Village Budhera around 5.30pm. “They asked me to take my husband as there was no oxygen supply due to an oxygen cylinder blast in Manesar. I told them that my husband will die if we remove him from oxygen support, they said he will die if they leave him here. No bed is available anywhere and my husband’s situation is critical,” she said.

Officials at the SGT Hospital confirmed the incident and said they would run out of oxygen by 10.30pm. “We have asked the families to take their patients as we will not be able to provide oxygen support. We have run out of oxygen supply. We are trying to get the cylinders refilled from different plants as directed by the district administration,” said a senior doctor, requesting anonymity.

Dr Bijender Sindhu, the nodal officer of SGT Hospital, said that there were nearly 60 Covid-19 patients, all of whom were on oxygen support.

“We are getting 18-20 cylinders a day but we need at least 90. The district administration is helping us but the supply is limited due to which we are facing an acute shortage for the last 10 days,” he said.

People at the spot said the situation became tense after they were informed that oxygen might not be supplied on Tuesday night and the area was cordoned off, said a senior police officer privy to the matter. The plant, which refills cylinders for a majority of private hospitals, shut operations for two hours.

Yash Garg, the deputy commissioner, said that it was a small incident. “This incident has not impacted the oxygen supply of the city and if any hospital is asking families to shift patients, we will check the issue,” he said.

Hitesh Yadav, the assistant commissioner of police (Manesar), said, “No injuries were reported and the supply was resumed soon after.”