Bhubaneshwar: A loud explosion ripped through a gas station near Raj Bhawan in Bhubaneswar, the capital of Odisha, on Wednesday afternoon.
Nine people were injured in the incident. All the injured were rushed to the Capital Hospital. Two of the wounded, who suffered 60 and 40 percent burns, respectively, were subsequently sent to the Medical College and SCB Hospital.
The impact of the devastating explosion could be measured by the fact that pounds of human flesh and severed limbs from injured people were strewn around the service station.
According to an aide to a tanker who was waiting his turn at the service station to unload compressed natural gas (CNG), the underground CNG tank of the gasoline pump exploded at around 1.02pm.
“The explosion occurred when another tanker that had arrived before us delivered CNG to the service station. Before we could understand what happened, the area was engulfed in fire and smoke. We fled the place to save our lives, ”said the assistant.
Up to five firefighters put out the flames after an hour of effort.
“According to our preliminary information, some people have suffered serious injuries in the accident. They were all sent to different hospitals. At this time, we are focusing on efforts to ensure that gasoline and diesel reserves stored underground remain safe and do not catch fire, ”said Police Commissioner Sudhansu Sarangi.
The PC reported that one of the two CNG storage tanks at the service station exploded causing the devouring fire.
In order to prevent further accidents and fires in the nearby gasoline and diesel tanks, the police cordoned off the entire stretch of road between Raj Bhawan and the Capital Hospital.
Many vehicles, including bicycles and four wheels, were blown up by the impact of the explosion, which according to eyewitnesses and passers-by, was like an earthquake. Some local shops were reported to have suffered damage from the explosion.
Bhubaneswar DCP Umashankar Dash said that people near the blast site have been vacated to ensure safety.
The Minister of the Oil and Natural Gas Union, Dharmendra Pradhan, ordered the departmental secretary to investigate the mishap.
State police forensic officials collected pieces of meat during the field investigation.
The police advised the police in the neighborhood of the gas station not to venture out until further notice. They were also asked not to turn on their cooking gas cylinder until ordered.
The PC said officials from the Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL) visited the site and were making efforts to extract the gasoline and diesel reserves stored in underground tanks.
“The service station had 10 kiloliters (KL) of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) reserve, in addition to 20 KL of gasoline and 20 KL of premium gasoline. IOCL officials have mobilized their technical staff to evacuate the remaining fuel reserves at the service station, ”said the PC.
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