Ejipura building collapse: 7 die in Bengaluru; Indian Oil officials deny cylinder blast caused accident

At least seven persons, including three women, were killed and several others feared trapped when a two-storeyed building collapsed due to a suspected LPG cylinder blast near Ejipura in Bengaluru on Monday. Eyewitnesses said the blast took place at around 7 am, bringing down a large portion of the 20-year-old building. Fire brigade and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel, who rushed to the spot, recovered the bodies, including those of the three women, the police said. However, the executive director of Indian Oil Corportation Limited ruled out cylinder blast as the reason behind the collapse. Speaking to ANI, an IOCL executive director said, “Highlights in sections of media that Bengaluru Ejipura building collapse is due to LPG blast is not validated (sic).” The IOCL executive director added, “We are unable to carry out further investigation since police have cordoned off the area….”

Highlights in sections of media that Bengaluru Ejipura building collapse is due to LPG blast is not validated: IOCL Executive Director

— ANI (@ANI) October 16, 2017

Initial probe revealed no IOCL customer resided in building. No accident on account of LPG cylinders been reported: IOCL Executive Director

— ANI (@ANI) October 16, 2017

We are unable to carry out further investigation since police have cordoned off the area & rescue ops are underway: IOCL Executive Director

— ANI (@ANI) October 16, 2017

The deceased have been identified as Kalavathi (68), Ravichandran (46), Prasad (18), Ashwini (28), Saravana (18), Maladri (25) and Sarva Kalyan (19). The government has announced a compensation of Rs five lakh each for the kin of the deceased. [caption id=“attachment_4150143” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Getty Images[/caption] The police said three-year-old Sanjana, who was rescued from the debris, had sustained 60 per cent burns and was in a critical condition. She was admitted to the Victoria Hospital. Along with the child, Janaki (26) was also undergoing treatment for burn injuries that she received in the incident, the police added. Karnataka home minister Ramalinga Reddy, who visited the spot of the building collapse, told reporters that the structure belonged to one Gunesh, who had rented it out to three families. “Two families were residing on the ground floor, while one was on the first floor. Kalavathi and Ravichandran were on the first floor. They died on the spot, while two children were injured,” the minister said. Bengaluru mayor R Sampath Raj, however, said four families were residing in the building. At least 40 firefighters and NDRF personnel were engaged in the rescue operations. Three firefighters were also injured when a wall caved in on them while they were clearing the debris to pull out those trapped on Monday, the police said, adding that they have been shifted to a nearby hospital. A bomb disposal squad was also pressed into service to ascertain the cause of the blast. With inputs from agencies