BENGALURU: Tension gripped Richmond road on Wednesday evening after a cooking steamer exploded in a hotel and claimed the life of an assistant cook while three of his colleagues also sustained burn injuries in the mishap and fire and emergency personnel rushed to the spot and doused the fire.
The deceased has been identified as Manoj alias Shiv, who hailed from Assam. The injured, Pradeep, Mohan and Naveen were shifted to a private hospital and their condition is said to be stable.
A senior police officer said that the incident occurred at 8.15 pm in New Udupi Upahara when the staff were cooking dinner. The steamer accidentally exploded and Manoj who was nearby suffered severe injuries. Pradeep, Naveen and Mohan who were assisting him also injured. They were rushed to a nearby hospital, where Manoj succumbed due to severe burn injuries.
About 60 customers who were present at the hotel ran out and escaped unhurt. They alerted fire and emergency personnel after hearing the explosion. Two fire tenders and staff pressed into the service brought the situation under control after an hour.
Ashok Nagar police who inspected the incident spot have registered a case of negligence against the manager and hotel owner. They also sought a report from FSL to know the exact cause led to the mishap for further investigation.