BENGALURU: Three out of four persons who were severely injured in an explosion due to LPG leakage at Hebbagodi succumbed on Tuesday morning. The fourth person is still critical in Victoria Hospital. The bodies were cremated in the city itself since the kin of the deceased were not able to bear the expenses of taking them back to Assam. The deceased are identified as Vikas Pradan (28), his wife Karna (25) and their relative Devan (22). Chavan Adhikari is battling for life. The couple were working in a glass factory and residing in a rented house at Tirupalya in Hebbagodi.
“The incident occurred on Monday early morning and the parents staying in Lakhimpur in Assam came to the city on Tuesday. The final rites were conducted at a cremation centre on Mysore Road after the postmortem,” said a senior police officer.
“Before her death, Vikas’ wife Karna gave a statement to the police that around 6.50 am, Chavan woke up and lit the gas stove to make tea while three of them were sitting in the hall. LPG was leaking and the negligence led to the explosion. The neighbours rushed them to the hospital,” the officer added. Devan and Chavan, who recently completed their PUC, had come to the city just eight days ago in search of a job.
House owner pays for ambulance
Srinivas, owner of the house in which the deceased were staying, ensured all possible help to the victims’ family after the mishap. “The couple were working in a glass factory and did not earn much. When their family came to the city from Assam, they had no money. Hence I paid some money for the ambulance and to the staff of cremation centre. It was my duty to help the family in times of grief as they lived in my house for two years,” he said.