10 injured as gas pipeline explodes in Lucknow hotel

LUCKNOW: At least 10 employees sustained burns after a gas pipeline in the kitchen of a four-storey hotel near Phoenix Mall of Krishnanagar in Lucknow exploded on Friday evening.
The intensity of the blast can be gauged from the fact that the roof, walls and articles kept inside the kitchen were blown to pieces.
The injured employees were taken to nearby Lok Bandhu Hospital. Six of the employees were discharged after treatment while others are recuperating at the hospital.
Hotel manager Avinash Singh, who informed the police and fire department, said: “The hotel has 22 rooms and three rooms were booked by six guests. Fortunately, no guest was inside the hotel at the time of the incident.”
Assistant commissioner of police Vinay Kumar Dwivedi told TOI that piped gas from the ground floor to the kitchen in the hotel was being repaired around 3.45pm.
“A chef who was not aware of the repair work lit the burner causing a blast in the regulator. Ten persons, including two women, were injured in the blast and fire. Two fire tenders reached the spot and doused the fire,” he said.
Chief fire officer, Lucknow, Mangesh Kumar said that prima facie it was found that the hotel lacked adequate fire safety measures.