2 killed, 3 hurt in cylinder explosion

Udupi: Two persons died and another grievously wounded when a hydraulic cylinder blew up at a scrap material yard on Monday at a place called Mallar in Kaup town in Udupi district.

The deceased persons have been identified as Razab(38) and Razak (35) both partners of the scrap yard. The injured person has been identified as Niyaz (25) has been admitted to the Kasturba Hospital in Manipal for critical injuries he received during the blast. Two others who rushed to help the victims and the injured Hasanabble and Faheem have also sustained serious injuries have also been rushed to the hospital. Following the blast, fire engulfed the yard and also spread to nearby buildings and damaged a Mosque nearby. However, the firefighters brought the fire into control by 1.45 pm.

The personnel at the scrap yard appeared to have used a gas cutter to pierce a hydraulic cylinder, according to Udupi district fire officer Vasanth Kumar. However, as the flame from the gas cutter pierced open the hydraulic cylinder, the residual fluid (oil) caught fire. The cylinder exploded in a flash. He explained that the mishap occurred because there was little oil left in the case. An LPG cylinder was suspected to have burst earlier in the day. To put out the fire, two fire extinguishers from Udupi and one from the ISPRL facility were used. On Monday, a four-foot-high hydraulic cylinder with a 60-centimetre diameter was enough to cause this much damage in Mallar. The amount of loss is yet to be calculated.