New Delhi, Jun 2 (PTI) Eleven workers were rescued, one of them in a critical state, after a single-storey utensil colouring and illegal gas cylinder filling factory collapsed in an LPG cylinder blast
in outer north Delhi's Mukundpur area on Tuesday morning.
Police have apprehended two men allegedly linked to the operation and registered two cases under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Essential Commodities Act after recovering 84 empty LPG cylinders from the site and a nearby property.
The incident occurred at Gali No. 1, Ishu Vihar, Mukundpur-II, officials said.
According to the Delhi Fire Services (DFS), a call reporting the blast and house collapse was received at 9.37 am. The caller informed authorities that several residents were feared trapped under the debris.
"Information was received that a blast had taken place and a building had collapsed, trapping people inside. Rescue teams were immediately rushed to the spot, and search and rescue operations were launched," a DFS official said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outernorth) Hareshwar Swami said police received information about the blast and collapse around 9.30 am, following which an Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV) that was patrolling nearby and local police personnel rushed to the spot.
Swami said 11 people were rescued, and a woman among them has suffered burn injuries.
"She is in a critical condition and has been referred to Safdarjung Hospital," Swami said.
Preliminary investigation suggested that the blast occurred during the transfer of LPG from large commercial cylinders into smaller cylinders.
"Prima facie, we got to know that a utensil colouring factory was being operated from the building. Many gas cylinders were found there. The process of transferring gas from big cylinders to small ones was taking place and that appears to be the possible reason behind the blast," the DCP said.
According to police, 38 empty gas cylinders were recovered from the premises. Further searches led to the recovery of another 46 empty cylinders — 25 domestic and 21 commercial — from a nearby room in the locality. They said another case was being registered in connection with the recovery of the cylinders.
Police identified the premises as being used by Sudhir Rai for utensil coating work, while Harkesh Bahadur, alias Bablu, allegedly stored gas cylinders there. Both have been apprehended.
Crime team personnel, forensic experts, Delhi Fire Services, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams and a dog squad were deployed at the spot. Preliminary inspection ruled out the possibility of more people being trapped under the debris.
Workers and local residents said the building housed small manufacturing and packaging units. According to them, utensils were painted and baked in a furnace inside one section of the premises, while another unit was involved in packaging chargers and fan components.
Several workers claimed they had noticed the smell of leaking gas shortly before the explosion.
"There was a gas smell. People knew there was a leak but could not identify the cylinder. As soon as the woman lit the gas stove to prepare tea, there was a blast," a neighbour alleged. Authorities have not officially confirmed the claim.
Workers said the critically injured woman used to prepare tea for labourers every morning before work began.
A worker, who identified himself as Munna and hails from a village near Patna, claimed that gas cylinders were being filled near the furnace, and one of them was leaking gas.
Sanjeev, a native of Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur and a friend of one of the injured workers, said he escaped death by a matter of minutes.
"I had come back from a temple and was very tired. I spread a carpet and thought I would rest for a few minutes. Then I stepped outside to drink water. A few moments later, I heard a loud bang and the entire building collapsed," he told PTI.
"If I had not gone out for water, I would have died," he said.
According to Sanjeev, the force of the blast blew shutters outward and reduced the structure to rubble within seconds.
Another injured worker, Mukesh, suffered severe burns to his hands and legs and injuries to his jaw after a portion of the door allegedly struck him during the explosion, his relatives said.
An eyewitness told PTI that there was dust everywhere after the blast and people were shouting for help. Some people started recording videos on their phones, he said.
"I requested them to stop filming and join the rescue effort because every second was important," he said.
The eyewitness said that around half a dozen people got down to clear the debris with whatever tools they found.
"By God's grace, we managed to pull out one person from under the rubble. They were frightened and injured," he added.
The incident comes days after six people were killed and eight others injured when a multi-storey commercial building housing a coaching centre, cafes and offices collapsed near Saket Metro Station on May 30. PTI SSJ AMJ
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