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Five workers injured in Daund hotel cylinder blast die
Five workers injured in an LPG cylinder explosion at Hotel Jagdamba died while being transported home. Police are investigating and plan to add charges.
Pune: Five workers who had suffered critical burn injuries in the LPG cylinder explosion at Hotel Jagdamba in Daund died while being taken to their native place, police said on Wednesday. According to police records, the victims died on Sunday. Daund police were informed about the deaths later through an email from the Agra Government Hospital, Uttar Pradesh.
A leaking LPG cylinder blast on January 7 in the kitchen of Hotel Jagdamba on Daund–Patas Ashtavinayak road had left 10 hotel workers injured. All the injured were initially taken to a private hospital in Daund, after which six critically injured workers were referred to Sassoon General Hospital (SGH).
The deceased have been identified as Dipak Verma (25), Maniram Verma (21), Kukran Kamal Singh Nishad (14), Kanhaiya Verma (25) and Ram Prakash Verma (24), all residents of Agra district in Uttar Pradesh. The five, along with another injured worker, Brij Mohan, were previously admitted to SGH. However, on Saturday evening, their families took discharge against medical advice and decided to shift them to their hometown. All five victims succumbed to their injuries on the way, police said.
Daund police had earlier registered a case against the hotel owner and manager under sections 125(a) and 125(b) (acts endangering life or personal safety), 287 (negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible matter) and 288 (negligent conduct concerning explosive substances) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with relevant provisions of the Essential Commodities Act. Police now said additional charges would be added following the deaths.
Sub-inspector Abdul Hadi Bidri from Daund police station, who is investigating the case, said, “We received an email from Agra Government Hospital late on January 11 informing us about the deaths. The victims were in a critical condition and reportedly died while being taken to their hometown. Further investigation is underway, and additional charges will be included in the FIR. However, no arrests have been made so far.”
As per fire brigade officials, the impact of the blast was severe, with metal sheets blown off and glass windows shattered. During rescue operations, 20 gas cylinders -10 domestic and 10 commercial - were removed from the hotel kitchen, of which two were found leaking. Police are also probing when and from where the domestic LPG cylinders were procured, suspecting illegal use of domestic LPG gas at commercial establishments.
