Boy dies after first birthday celebration

BANGALORE: The tiny house in Srigandhanagar at Hegganahalli, Peenya was decorated cheerily as N Gangadhar and G Usha celebrated the first birthday of their son Nikhil Gowda on Friday.
But tragedy struck when a gas cylinder exploded at night and the entire family sustained burns. Little Nikhil, who sustained serious burn injuries, died on Saturday afternoon while undergoing treatment in Victoria Hospital.His parents, three-year-old sister, uncle and grandfather are still undergoing treatment in Victoria Hospital. Nikhil had suffered than 60% burns.
Gangadhar, a gas cylinder loader with a private agency, is a resident of Srigandhanagar. A native of Kunigal in Tumkur district, Gangadhar had relocated to the city five years ago and married Usha four years ago, family members said.
Hearing the news of Nikhil's death, hundreds of relatives and friends rushed to the hospital ward, forcing security personnel to lock the gates. "We avoid public thronging the burns ward as patients are quick to develop infection," doctors said.
Usha's cousin Nagaveni Krishnamurthy said she participated in the birthday celebrations and returned in evening. "Gangadhar's father Ningappa came from Kunigal for the ceremony. Ningappa's second son Girish also joined the family in the evening. Usha wanted to cook special rasam for them," she said.
Around 10.30pm, when the cylinder ran out of gas, Usha decided to use a tiny cylinder, mostly used during emergencies. "As that cylinder had one knob, Usha decided to connect the cylinder to the main stove. The regulator may have come loose. Within no time, a huge explosion occurred and everybody sustained serious burns," Nagaveni said.
Neighbours shifted the family to Victoria Hospital around midnight. "Gangadhar was very happy for his son. He had partied with us on April 20. It's very sad that Gangadhar and Usha lost their son," a close relative H Shekharappa said.
Doctors need at least 24 hours to comment about their others' condition. "All of them received more than 50% burns and are under observation," doctors said.