Amritsar: A truck driver was killed and his two helpers were injured when an oxygen cylinder exploded at Guru Nanak Dev Hospital here on Monday. The incident occurred around 2:30pm in the hospital’s manifold room for medical gases.
The deceased has been identified as Sandeep Sharma (30), while Gurbachan Singh and Naresh Kumar were injured.
According to the hospital authorities, Sandeep brought the truck laden with oxygen cylinders into the hospital premises around 2pm. During unloading, one cylinder slipped out of the helpers’ hands. It fell on the ground and exploded. The explosion was so powerful that Sandeep’s arms were ripped apart from his body. The blast shattered the windowpanes of the nearby hospital building, triggering panic among patients and their attendants.
Ruling out foul play, Dr Santokh Singh, principal, Government Medical College and Hospital, confirmed that an oxygen cylinder had slipped out of the hands of Gurbachan and Naresh.
He added that instructions had been issued to the staff in the manifold room as well as people bringing oxygen cylinders to the hospital to be more careful while loading or unloading them.
Sub-inspector Gagandeep Singh of Majitha Road police station said a case had been registered, on Gurbachan’s complaint, under sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 327 (voluntarily causing hurt to extort property, or to constrain to an illegal act) and 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against the agency that manufactures oxygen cylinders. “The case is being investigated,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Sub-inspector Gagandeep Singh of Majitha Road police station said a case had been registered, on Gurbachan’s complaint, under sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 327 (voluntarily causing hurt to extort property, or to constrain to an illegal act) and 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against the agency that manufactures oxygen cylinders. “The case is being investigated,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}