In a freak accident, five persons were injured when two houses were razed to the ground due to the impact of a gas cylinder blast at Thenegallu village of Kundurpi mandal in the district on January 29.
According to the police, one Masthan runs a petty provision store in the village. At around 9 a.m., when he opened the shop, he smelt some pungent odour from inside. When he switched on the lights, all of a sudden flames engulfed the shop, forcing Masthan to come out immediately.
The alert neighbourhood rushed to the spot and was planning to contain the flames. But, a deafening blast occurred from inside, which razed the shop, which is also used as a temporary residence by Masthan, and the neighbouring house to the ground. The debris which fell on the crowd resulted in injuries to five persons, of which three received grievous injuries. The injured were rushed to the area hospital. The accident left the valuables and furniture in the shop gutted.
The police said the cause behind the accident would be probed. It was suspected that at first, it could be a blast of the refrigerator in the shop, followed by a cylinder blast. A case has been registered.
