Elderly couple hurt in blast at home in Bengaluru, gas leak suspected

BENGALURU: An elderly couple sustained burns in a blast inside their house at Hampinagar in Vijaynagar, west Bengaluru, post Sunday midnight.
While Suryanarayana Shetty, 74, is undergoing treatment at a private hospital, Pushpavatamma Shetty, 70, who sustained 50% burns, has been admitted to Victoria Hospital.
The two was sleeping in the hall, while their son Dinesh Shetty, was asleep in the bedroom when the blast occurred at 12.45am. The three live on the first floor of a two-storey residential building. Dinesh is a private company employee.
The blast triggered panic among residents in the area as the sound was heard up to half a kilometre. Five neighbouring houses too were damaged in the blast. Window panes and doors of these houses developed cracks. Those of adjacent houses were broken.
Dinesh Shetty said they suspect the blast could be due to either a leakage from the cooking gas cylinder or their newly purchased refrigerator.
“The two gas cylinders are intact. But the refrigerator which was bought online 15 days ago has broken into many pieces. We had kept the fridge near the door. The gas geyser and other electrical items are intact,” Dinesh Shetty said.
Police suspect a gas leak triggered the explosion. “An electrical engineer examined the spot and opined that it could be a case of gas leak. However, there were no explosive materials stored in the house. It is purely an accident. Leaked gas filled inside a room or hall could cause an explosion even as cylinders remain intact,” an investigating officer said.