Two die in blast at medical store in Guntur
GUNTUR: Two persons died in a blast at a medical shop in Guntur during the early hours of Thursday.
According to CI SV Rajasekhara Reddy, owner of the shop K Rama Rao (38) and another person died on the Long Live Pharma medical shop premises at Seelamvari Street in Kothapeta on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday. According to reports, locals and other shopkeepers of Viswasai’s medical complex, where the pharmaceutical shop was situated, heard multiple blasts within a span of two minutes after which the police and fire officials were called.
Under the impact of the blast, walls of the shop collapsed and shutters of adjacent shops were badly damaged. The police suspect that a blast in the air conditioner compressor caused the incident. The police found an indoor unit of an air conditioner machine on the floor of the shop. The unidentified victim, who died on the spot, was found holding a screwdriver and wires of AC. The police suspect that the compressor exploded during repair works and that the other man was a mechanic. The clues team has been pressed into action.
The shopping complex had two floors, with shops on the ground floor and apartments on the second. The deceased Rama Rao ran a medical wholesale business for the past few years by renting a shop at the complex. He resided at Syamala Nagar of Guntur city with wife Sambrajyam and two children. The police are conducting inquiry into the cause of the blast and trying to identify the other victim.
The bodies were shifted to Guntur government hospital for post-mortem and Guntur urban SP PHD Ramakrishna inspected the spot.