3 hurt in LPG cylinder explosion in Mumbai's Versova building

MUMBAI: Three people, including a senior citizen, were injured after an LPG cylinder explosion led to a

fire

on the fourth floor of a

Versova building

on Sunday morning. Fire department personnel said the LPG cylinder explosion occurred either in flat no. 403 or 404, both of which are badly damaged, at

Kavita building

on Yari Road at 11.15am.


Even as quick-thinking society committee members rushed to evacuate the top and bottom floors, there was a second explosion at 11.30am, which caused further destruction of property. Officials are yet to ascertain what caused the second blast. Residents said as the ambulance took 50 minutes to arrive, they rushed the three injured to R N Cooper Hospital in private cars.

While Deep Desai (35), who was in flat no. 404, suffered 35% burns, Amandeep Pal (27), a production manager living in flat no. 403, had a minor leg injury and was given first aid on the spot. Neelima Ravan, a 60-year-old bystander, suffered head injury possibly due to shattered glass from windowpanes. Desai was later moved to Kokilaben

Dhirubhai Ambani

Hospital, said doctors.

The fire was doused by 11.52am, said sources.

Flat no. 404 is occupied by Manisha Raj and her two sons. As she had to go to her hometown, she had asked her brother Desai to take care of her sons and her nephew, who was living with them. Since the last 10 days, Desai, who runs an import-export business, was living in her flat. On Sunday, the four were asleep in the house with their two dogs, when they heard the explosion. Desai suffered superficial burns on his hands and legs, besides burning his lip and a portion of his head.

Pal lives next door in flat no. 403 on rent along with brothers Shubham Gaur (31), a casting director, and Shaleen (29), an assistant director with a British production company. “The explosion may have happened in Pal’s room but we are not sure as we were asleep,” said Shubham. The blast ripped through the wall between the bedroom where Desai was sleeping and Pal’s room, and wrecked windows of the flats on the floors above and below.

“We have been living as roommates in Mumbai for the past decade and had shifted into Kavita building in October 2018. Now, we have no place to live as the house will have to be renovated,” Shubham added. Their landlady is based abroad.

Fire department officials said the fire was confined to the electric wiring and electric installation, furniture, television sets, wooden beds, curtains, doors, windows, LPG cylinders and household articles in the two flats. When TOI visited the building, some residents were seen carting away their belongings as their flats too had been affected due to the

LPG cylinder blast

.