BENGALURU: The bodies of two persons, believed to be a couple, were found on the first floor of a building on Monday, two days after a massive fire broke out at an illegal gas refilling shop in Kammagondanahalli near Gangammanagudi.
The couple is suspected to have died of suffocation after getting trapped in thick smoke. The deceased were Akash Basavaraj, 27 and Nagarathna, 24. The fire broke out at the gas refilling shop on Saturday night, triggering a series of explosions involving more than 20 gas cylinders.
Initially, police and fire personnel suspected that there were no casualties. However, the couple’s bodies were discovered on the first floor on Monday while workers were clearing the fire-damaged debris.
The police suspect that the couple must have run to the first floor in an attempt to escape when the fire broke out.
It may be recalled that a series of gas cylinder explosions ripped through an oil and lubricant shop on Abbigere Main Road in Kammagondanahalli, damaging the building and scattering debris in the surrounding area. Reports suggest that a gas leak during an alleged illegal cylinder-refilling operation triggered the fire.
The shop used to store domestic gas cylinders, small commercial cylinders and inflammable substances, including petrol and kerosene. The presence of these materials had intensified the blaze.
Gangammagudi police registered a case.