Chennai: In a freak refrigeration-gas cylinder blast on Royapettah Flyover, two persons were injured while senior managers of Punjab National Bank (PNB) had a narrow escape after a stray piece from the cylinder flew into their office on Thursday.
Police said Galeel and Karthick, employed at a private air-conditioning company in Egmore, were ferrying a cylinder towards Mylapore on a two-wheeler when the mishap occurred. The duo sustained minor injuries and was admitted to Government Royapettah Hospital for treatment.
The cylinder, which initially began leaking during the transit, slipped down while on a flyover resulting in a blast. A stray cylinder piece, which was propelled by the blast, breached into the fifth floor office of PNB field general manager R.K. Chatterjee, who was having a meeting with another senior colleague Natarajan Kumar. The window panes of Chatterjee’s office were facing the road and were at least 20 ft above the flyover where the blast occurred.
Chatterjee told reporters that he ducked soon after he heard a deafening sound. The cylinder piece travelled over his head and damaged the wall behind him. Natarajan Kumar who was with Chatterjee saw the object enter the twin-glass layered windowpane. Cops suspect the blast could have occurred due to excess pressure.
“We are probing as to where the gas was purchased from. We will
pursue with the investigation to find out whether this particular company was authorised to sell/store the refrigeration gas,” added the official. Cops also suspect the cylinder could have been refilled at unauthorised filling point in the city.
