Mumbai: 17 injured in gas cylinder blast in Dharavi, 5 critical

Two fire engines, one jumbo water tanker and a team of civic and police officers reached the site immediately

At least 17 were injured including four minors following a gas cylinder blast reported in a slum area of Shahu Nagar in Dharavi in Mumbai on Sunday. Five patients are critical and 12 are stable.

A gas cylinder blast reported in a slum area of Shahu Nagar in Dharavi on Sunday. (Satish Bate/HT Photo)

“Two patients are on ventilator support, including an 8-year-old boy, have over 50% burns on their faces. As a result, their faces have swollen and they are unable to breathe on their own so we have to incubate them for artificial breathing support,” said Dr Mohan Joshi, dean of Lokmanya Tilak General Hospital, also known as Sion Hospital. “They are quite critical. They have been admitted under the medicine department. The remaining patients are stable,” he said.

The minors have been identified as Alina Ansari, 5, Faiyaz Ansari, 16, Attazam Ansari, 4 and Sonu Jaiswal, 8. The incident was reported around 12.15pm, which took place opposite Hotel Mubarak in Dharavi. Two fire engines, one jumbo water tanker and a team of civic and police officers reached the site immediately.

All the injured were rescued and rushed to Sion hospital. However, access to the site was difficult due to the narrow lane, the BMC officials said.

A BMC official said, “It looks like the gas cylinder was already leaking but was left unattended outside on a road and suddenly caught fire. It appears that someone dropped a cigarette after smoking beside it unknowingly. The fire was doused by 12.50pm.”

The five who are in critical condition include Sataradevi Jaiswal, 40, who has suffered 60% burns, Shaukat Ali, 58 with 60% burn injuries, followed by Sonu Jaiwal, 8, whose face is burned. Anju Gautam, 28, and Prem Jaiswal, 32, also suffered burn injuries on their face, while Sabina Ahmad, 32, and Meharunissa Khan, 4 sustained minor burn injuries and their condition is stable.

According to BMC officials, not all injured are locals, but a few also include passersby who were walking through the narrow lane when the blast took place.