One person was killed and four others were injured after an oxygen cylinder exploded at a godown in Delhi’s Okhla Phase-I on Wednesday morning, police said. The blast occurred at D-23 in the Okhla Industrial Area while a Tata 407 loaded with commercial oxygen cylinders was at the premises.
Police received a PCR call about the incident at around 10.43am, following which teams from the Okhla Industrial Area police station reached the site. Officers found the vehicle carrying commercial oxygen cylinders at the premises, according to the preliminary inquiry.
Police said the site was being used as a godown for storing commercial oxygen cylinders. The premises owner was identified as Shyam Mohan. The identity of the deceased and the four injured people was not disclosed in the report.
The preliminary inquiry indicated that one of the cylinders exploded while the vehicle was at the godown. Police have not yet established the exact circumstances that led to the explosion or confirmed what triggered it.
The incident has prompted an investigation into the deceased and injured people, the ownership of the cylinders and the agency responsible for them. Police are also examining the extent of damage at the premises.
The blast took place in Okhla Phase-I, an industrial area in south-east Delhi where commercial premises and storage operations are located. The reported presence of a vehicle loaded with oxygen cylinders and a storage godown has made the handling and ownership of the cylinders part of the ongoing inquiry.
Police have secured the spot as investigators continue to examine the incident. Further details, including the condition of the injured, the identities of those involved and the cause of the explosion, are expected as the investigation progresses.
