Five people, including two minors, were injured after a gas leak from a cylinder pipe triggered a flare-up at a labour camp on the IIT Bombay campus in Powai on Thursday night, while seven cylinders exploded in a separate fire at a construction workers’ camp in Mulund East, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said.
The IIT Bombay incident was reported by Rajawadi Hospital at around 10.24pm. Police and BMC ward staff were mobilised after the hospital alerted the authorities. The five injured people were reported to be in stable condition, according to the civic body.
The injured were identified as Ansh Ahirwar, 12, and Tahjib Aalam, 9, who were shifted to Kasturba Hospital. Ishwar Singh, 37, was admitted to Rajawadi Hospital, while Shivkumar Singh, 34, and Anilkumar Yadav, 23, were also taken to Kasturba Hospital for treatment.
The flare-up occurred at a labour camp located on the IIT Bombay campus in Powai. The BMC said the incident was linked to a gas leak from a cylinder pipe. The supplied report did not specify the extent of damage to the camp or the circumstances that led to the leak.
In the separate Mulund East incident, a fire broke out at a G+1 labour camp in Navghar. The camp had been established for construction workers under the BMC’s Project Affected Persons project. Preliminary information indicated that the fire may have started as a small blaze before triggering the explosion of seven gas cylinders.
All occupants of the Mulund premises were safely evacuated, and no casualties were reported in that incident. Fire brigade personnel were at the site and firefighting operations were underway, with further details being ascertained.
The two incidents involved temporary or worker accommodation in different parts of Mumbai and occurred within the same period. The BMC said investigations into both incidents were underway. Authorities were continuing to establish the circumstances of the fires, the extent of damage and any further operational details at the affected sites.
