Vijayawada: Four persons suffered injuries after a gas cylinder exploded at a tiffin centre located in Bhavana Rushi Nagar of Chilakaluripeta town in Palnadu district.
According to fire department officials, the injured were identified as Chinnam Adibabu (35), P. Koteshwar Rao (21), B. Seetharavamma (52), customers at the tiffin centre and P Jalaiah (54), owner of the tiffin centre. Preliminary investigation suggests that the explosion occurred due to a gas leak, which triggered flames that engulfed the small eatery, causing panic in the area.
Circle Inspector Ramesh Babu, along with revenue officials, reached the spot and interacted with the victims. The injured told officials that they noticed a strong smell of gas moments before the explosion, and they believe it was an accidental leak that led to the fire.
While initial estimates from fire officials placed the property loss at around Rs 70,000, the owner Jalaiah claimed that the damage might be closer to Rs 1 lakh, including loss of equipment and structural damage to the shop. He described the explosion as sudden and loud, followed by thick smoke and flames, which caused panic among nearby residents and shopkeepers.
