BENGALURU: Two people were killed on the spot while five others escaped with burn injuries after an explosion inside Sri Pathrakali Lorry Services at New Tharagupet in VV Puram police station limits on Thursday afternoon. The two bodies were blown to smithereens while 10 parked bikes were damaged due to the impact.
Senior police and FSL officers rushed to the spot. Police said 60 firecracker boxes were kept inside and the unstable explosives had caused the blast. They ruled out an LPG leak or electrical short circuit. "We have found some industrial consignments inside the godown and are waiting for the opinion of the FSL. We are verifying whether the firecrackers were stocked legally or not," said a police official.
The deceased have been identified as Aslam Pasha and Manohar who were inside the godown. Manjunath and Ganapathy were critically injured while three others had minor injuries, a senior police officer said.
The blast took place around 12.15 pm and Suresh, an eyewitness, alerted the fire and emergency services. Suresh told The New Indian Express, "I was moving in front of the godown and heard the blast. I left my bike there and ran away from the spot. Some of the workers brought out the injured and the ambulance service rushed to the spot."
The bodies were shifted to Bowring Hospital while the injured are recovering. The police are yet to find the godown owner and filed a case of negligence. Further investigations are on.