A 35-year-old worker was killed and four others were injured after a commercial oxygen cylinder exploded at a godown in Okhla Phase I in southeast Delhi on Wednesday morning, police said. Investigators are examining the facility’s licences, cylinder ownership, storage arrangements and compliance with transportation and safety norms.
The Okhla Industrial Area police station received a call about the explosion at 10.43am. Officers who reached the site found a commercial truck that had transported oxygen cylinders from Ghaziabad to the rented premises at D-23, Okhla Phase I.
According to a preliminary police inquiry, the firm has operated from the premises as a trader and distributor of industrial oxygen cylinders for the past one to two years. The vehicle had arrived in the morning as part of its routine supply operation. Workers were unloading and shifting cylinders inside the godown when one cylinder fell from the vehicle onto the road and exploded, police said.
The worker who died was identified as Mohit Singh, a helper and resident of Jaitpur who originally belonged to Etah district in Uttar Pradesh. He died at the spot. A relative, Vishnu, said Singh had worked as an oxygen-cylinder supplier for nearly 25 years and was the sole breadwinner for a family that includes two children.
Four other workers — Umesh, Arvind, Manoj and Pankaj — were injured and taken to the AIIMS Trauma Centre. Police said their identities and medical conditions were being verified. The report did not provide details of the injuries.
Investigators said the premises functioned as a trading and distribution facility and did not contain an oxygen-filling plant. The cylinders were supplied from Ghaziabad and distributed to local traders and industries, particularly in the Okhla area. Police said the firm handled about 70 to 80 cylinders a day, although that figure is being checked against stock registers, invoices and purchase records.
The site has been secured. Technical and forensic teams will examine the cylinder, the vehicle and other evidence to determine the exact cause of the explosion. Police are also verifying the firm’s licences and permissions, cylinder ownership and compliance with storage and transportation requirements.
