1 dead, 4 hurt as cylinder explodes in Ganesh pandal in Ahmedabad

A cylinder blast at a Ganapati pandal in Isanpur area of the city on Monday evening left one person dead and four seriously injured. However, according to unofficial figures, two persons died in the accident. The accident occurred in Govindwadi pandal around 8:15pm.

According to information received, the pandal had Lord Ganesha riding on a chariot of five fire-spitting dragons (sculptors). The fire was generated with the help of three gas and oxygen cylinders in the backstage.

“It appears that there was some leakage in one of the cylinders which resulted in a blast. Around 8.30pm we got a call from one Hitesh Rana, informing us about the blast.

The surrounding area was also engulfed in the fire,” said chief fire officer Rajesh Bhatt. He also did not rule out the possibility of an error while mixing of oxygen with LPG to show the fire spitting. 

Bhatt also added that such was the impact that they couldn’t find the victim’s body. “The victim’s head was separated from the body. We have still been unable to identify the victim,” said Bhatt.

He added that the organizers had not taken a No objection certificate from the fire department nor did they have safety equipment in place. The organizers may be booked for negligence. The injured were rushed to LG hospital.