Bhagalpur: A man and his son lost their lives in an LPG cylinder explosion at their restaurant early Monday morning. The incident occurred when they rushed to their establishment after receiving information about flames emanating from the premises. In a state of panic, they lifted the restaurant's iron shutter, which triggered a powerful explosion.
According to witnesses, the blast was caused by LPG cylinders stored inside the multi-cuisine restaurant, which had already caught fire.The explosion was so severe that it shattered the cylinders, damaged the iron gates and hurled the victims more than 20 feet away. The incident took place around 5am in the Kharmanchak locality of Bhagalpur town.
Sources, citing a preliminary police inquiry, said faulty LPG cylinders might have leaked even after the restaurant was closed. This leakage could have combined with an electrical short-circuit, intensifying the flames inside the shop. When the shutter was opened and air entered, the blast occurred, sources said.
Shandilya Nandikesh, the councillor of ward number 20 and the first to arrive at the spot, said, "Sixty-year-old Kishan Kumar Jhunjhunwala and his 28-year-old son, Kanhaiya alias Prasoon Kumar Jhunjhunwala, who owned the restaurant, died in the incident. Prasoon died on the spot while his father succumbed to injuries at Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Hospital." Nandikesh said he had also informed the Jogsar police and the fire brigade immediately after reaching the spot.
SHO of Jogsar-Adampur police station, Krishnandan Kumar Singh, said, "A police team reached the site as soon as we were informed. Fire tenders were called in and they managed to extinguish the flames that had engulfed the restaurant. A case has been registered and investigations launched. Preliminary findings suggest an electrical short-circuit caused the LPG cylinders to explode. However, it remains unclear if a gas leak contributed to the fire before the short-circuit," the SHO added. He said locals were being questioned to gather more details.