An explosion at an oxygen refilling centre in Lucknow left three people dead and at least five injured on Wednesday.
One of the seriously injured has had his left forearm blown off.
The explosion took place at Ketee Welding store in the Chinhat area, which is on the Lucknow-Barabanki Road.
One of the deceased is a worker at the plant while another was a customer. The identity of the third person has not been ascertained.
The district magistrate, commissioner of police and the sub-divisional magistrate rushed to the accident site. Those present said one person died while trying to save another.
“Around 3.30pm when cylinders were being filled, one cylinder exploded. We do not know the cause for the explosion, but may be one of the cylinders was defective,” the commissioner of police said.
Ketee welding store caters to both individuals and hospitals. Some days ago, the store had stopped supplying oxygen to the locals despite having it following an altercation with the local administration. The police had stepped in to bring matters under control. Like other plants in the state capital, this one too has been taken over by the administration to ensure that there is no trouble while supplying oxygen.
Though the cause of the explosion was not clear at the time of filing this report, oxygen, though not combustible, vigorously supports burning. Increased pressure on an oxygen tank due to high temperatures could lead to explosion.
The plant is located in a residential area and could have led to a greater tragedy.
Five days ago, a similar explosion in an oxygen filling plant in Kanpur’s Panki area had left one dead and two injured.
This second explosion underscores the need for better safety regulation at such plants.
