A 30-year-old man died and another sustained serious injury when a medical oxygen cylinder that they were delivering to a private hospital in Lucknow’s Balaganj exploded.
The incident occurred on Thursday evening.
The deafening sound of the explosion led to a bomb scare in the area with people running for cover. The blast was so intense that body parts of the victims were dismembered and flung far away.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), West, Rahul Raj, said, “While Mohammed Arif succumbed to injuries, his associate Shobhit Kumar, 24, is still battling for life at KGMU trauma centre.”
He added the blast took place when the duo was transporting the cylinder to the hospital through a loader and it fell on the ground.
“A car parked nearby was also damaged in the explosion,” said the DCP, adding that police were awaiting any complaint by the aggrieved side after which investigations would begin.
ADCP (West), Chiranjeev Nath Singh, said the two were from Lucknow and working as drivers and helpers with Elite Gas Agency for the past one year on an ad-hoc basis.
He ruled out the possibility of any mischief and said it was an accident.
“The oxygen gas cylinder is supplied to the hospital on a routine basis and it is a matter of investigation whether the body of the cylinder was worn out,” he said.
According to eyewitnesses, the cylinders were being unloaded by the duo from the vehicle when one of them exploded soon after they put it on the ground.
They added that there were two people, including a pregnant lady, inside the car and luckily both escaped unhurt.
However, several nearby shops were slightly damaged.
