7 injured in blast at a quarter in elite academy for civil servants

Devender Aswal, station house officer at Mussoorie police station, said the injured were rushed to the LBSNAA Hospital where all are undergoing treatment for minor burns.

Seven people were injured when an LPG cylinder exploded inside a room of a quarter belonging to an employee from Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) in Mussoorie on Wednesday.

Police said the incident might have occurred due to the faulty regulator connection resulting in the leak and blast.

The academy is a premier training institution for the freshly hired civil servants in India.

Devender Aswal, station house officer at Mussoorie police station, said the injured were rushed to the LBSNAA Hospital where all are undergoing treatment for minor burns.

Aswal said the injured include Kavita Aswal, aged 40 and resident of the type 2 quarter. The other six were neighbours.

According to the police, the incident occurred when Kavita after changing her domestic cylinder left for morning walk. When she returned, she found the room filled with gas. She summoned her neighbours, who came to her rescue. Soon the gas caught fire with a loud blast shattering the windowpanes of the room resulting in glass shrapnel flying in all directions. All seven suffered burn injuries and were rushed to the hospital at LBSNAA premises.

“A neighbour Vijay Kumar is grievously injured while others have received minor burns and are undergoing treatment in Mussoorie,” said Aswal.

Aswal said the incident might have occurred due to the faulty regulator connection resulting in the leak and blast.

The academy conducts a common foundation course for entrants to the All India Services, Indian Foreign Service; Group ‘A’ services of the Union and the Royal Bhutan Service followed by professional training for the regular recruits of the IAS and members of Royal Bhutan Service, according to LBSNAA website.