Officials are yet to ascertain the cause of the accident but believe it is due to some residue of gas left in the tanker, that reacted with the sparks of the welding machine and ignited fire
Mumbai : Two persons lost their lives as a gas tanker caught fire and exploded at Om Sai Service Station in Prakash Nagar, Chembur at about 10.30 am on Tuesday morning. The tanker had been brought into the service station as its tank had developed cracks and needed repair. The fire brigade which reached the spot within minutes, was able to bring the fire under control and prevent further damage, even though an overhead powerline of Tata Power was broken.
Officials are yet to ascertain the cause of the accident but believe it is due to some residue of gas left in the tanker, that reacted with the sparks of the welding machine and ignited fire. The tank had supposedly been emptied of gas before welding work was started.
Shafiq Rehman (18), who was a worker at the service station was rushed to the Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital at Sion where he succumbed to his injuries. Manish Rajesh Patel, who was a cleaner at the service station died on the spot, as the blast occurred. A senior police official confirmed that no other person was harmed in the accident.
The driver of the gas tanker allegedly ran away from the spot and is absconding. The police are yet to confirm to whom the tanker belongs to and investigation is in progress.