Mumbai: 15 injured in LPG cylinder explosion at Dharavi slum, 5 in critical condition

An LPG cylinder kept just outside one of the shanties exploded and led to a level one (minor) fire, fifteen persons suffered burn injuries.

Mumbai: Fifteen persons were injured, five of them seriously, after an LPG cylinder exploded and caused a minor fire at a shanty in Mumbai's Dharavi slum on Sunday (August 29), an official said.

Of the five persons who have suffered critical injuries in the incident, one is an eight-year-old boy, the fire brigade official said. The mishap occurred in Shahu Nagar locality of the slum in the afternoon, he said.

"An LPG cylinder kept just outside one of the shanties exploded and led a level one (minor) fire. Fifteen persons suffered burn injuries and they were admitted to the nearby Sion Hospital. Three fire engines that were rushed to spot brought the blaze under control," the official said, adding that police personnel and civic staff are present at the spot.

"Out of the 15 injured, 10 persons - seven males and three females - are out of danger, but five others are in a critical condition and two of them have suffered 50 to 60 per cent injuries. Those in critical condition are three males, including an eight-year-old boy, and two females," he added.

During the probe, the fire brigade personnel found that gas was leaking from the cylinder and hence it was kept outside the shanty, the official said.