CHENNAI: A 37-year-old woman was killed and five others sustained serious injuries when a refrigerant gas cylinder exploded inside a cloud kitchen in Kannagi Nagar, triggering a series of blasts that tore through two floors of the building, on Thursday afternoon.
The woman, S Preethi, suffered more than 90 per cent burns and died in the evening while undergoing treatment.
Janani (14), Usha (49), Kalpana (29), Jeevitha (17), and delivery worker Kannathasan (35), who had been waiting at the kitchen, sustained injuries and are in treatment at a private hospital.
According to the police, air conditioner repair work had been going on at the kitchen for three days. On Thursday, the mechanics who were using an R22 refrigerant gas-filling machine and welding gas cylinders on the ground floor left the equipment unattended while stepping out for lunch.
Around 2.30 pm, the R22 cylinder is believed to have exploded due to excessive heat buildup inside the enclosed space. The blast ruptured the kitchen’s gas pipeline, causing secondary explosions, police said.
Some of the injured rushed toward the spot after hearing the first explosion, hoping to rescue those trapped, but were caught in the subsequent blasts, police said, adding that refrigerators were burst open, and one fridge door landed on the victims.
The injured were first taken to Government Royapettah Hospital before being moved to a private facility for advanced care. Preethi’s body has been sent to Royapettah GH for autopsy.
Kannagi Nagar police have registered a case under Sections 109 and 125 (B) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against two AC mechanics and the kitchen’s floor in-charge, who were subsequently arrested.