The death toll in the Mysuru cylinder blast incident has risen to three, with two more victims succumbing to their injuries.
A 45-year-old tourist from Kamakshipalya in Bengaluru, identified as Lakshmi, and a flower vendor, Manjula, 26, are the latest victims of the blast that occurred on Thursday evening near the Jayamarthanda Gate of the historic Amba Vilas Palace, where a cylinder used to fill balloons exploded.
According to the police, Lakshmi and her relatives were in Mysuru to visit temples and the Dasara Exhibition Ground, located opposite the palace. She was walking on the footpath to catch a bus when the explosion took place. Manjula hailed from Nanjangud in Mysuru district.
Soon after the incident, Mysuru City Police Commissioner Seema Latkar had confirmed the death of the balloon vendor. He was identified as Saleem, 40, a resident of Kannauj in Uttar Pradesh.
The three injured, identified as Shahina Shabeer from Kolkata, Kotresh from Ranebennur in the state, and Ranjitha, Manjula’s relative, are recuperating at different hospitals in Mysuru. The police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Explosives Act at Devaraja police station based on a complaint filed by Kotresh.
While initial reports had indicated helium as the cause of the explosion, sources said that the vendor was likely mixing caustic soda with water to generate the gas required to fill the balloons. However, a forensic analysis report is yet to verify the same.
Karnataka minister H C Mahadevappa said on Friday that the vendor was among the more than 1,000 seasonal vendors who visited the city to trade their wares. “The incident was purely accidental,” he said, adding that the device used to fill gas into the balloons had heated up, resulting in the explosion.