Five injured after gas leak triggers flare-up at IIT-Bombay hostel

The incident was reported at 10.24 pm from Hostel No 6 on the Powai campus. File Pic

Five people were injured after a gas leak from a cylinder pipe led to a flare-up at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Bombay campus on Thursday night, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said in a press release.

The incident was reported at 10.24 pm from Hostel No 6 on the Powai campus. According to the press release, the incident was reported by Rajawadi Hospital, following which police and BMC ward staff were mobilised.

As per information received from the medical officer concerned at Rajawadi Hospital, five people were injured in the incident and brought to the hospital for treatment.

Four of the injured were later transferred to Kasturba Hospital, while one was admitted to Rajawadi Hospital. All five were reported to be in stable condition.

Two children, aged 12 and nine, were transferred to Kasturba Hospital.

Three others – Ishwar Singh, 37, was admitted to Rajawadi Hospital, while Shivkumar Singh, 34, and Anilkumar Yadav, 23, were transferred to Kasturba Hospital.

Further details about the cause of the gas leakage were awaited.

Four men died due to suspected inhalation of a toxic gas while allegedly trying to commit a theft on board a foreign-flagged vessel stranded off the Manori beach in Mumbai’s Gorai area, police said on October 1.

The ship, on which the incident occurred two to three days back, had run aground four months ago due to strong winds and heavy rainfall, they said.

According to the police’s preliminary investigation, a gang had been repeatedly targeting the stranded vessel over the past one month.

Two to three days ago, a group of eight individuals boarded the ship using a speedboat. While one person stayed back to navigate the speedboat, seven others climbed aboard the vessel, the police said.

Trouble began when four members of the gang went into the interior compartments of the ship to cut a gas pipeline using a gas cutter with the intention of committing a theft. But a sudden toxic gas leak inside the enclosed space caused all four to allegedly suffocate and die on the spot, an official said.

The matter came to light when one of their associates approached the Gorai police station and reported that four of his companions were trapped inside the ship, he said.

Following the alert, the local police coordinated with the merchant navy personnel and launched a recovery operation.

On Wednesday, search teams entered the ship with the assistance of a helicopter, retrieved the four bodies, and sent them to a local hospital for post-mortem examinations.

“All four deceased persons are below 30 years of age. Efforts are underway to formally establish their identities and determine how they navigated the sea to execute the thefts,” a police official said.

According to the investigators, the gang had previously raided the vessel twice.

Preliminary reports suggest that a case has been registered against the owner of the ship, who is currently abroad and absconding.

Police are also probing allegations that the vessel was involved in illegal oil-related activities prior to running aground, though official confirmation is pending.

The Gorai police have registered an accidental death report (ADR) and further investigation into the incident is underway.

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever