Updated on: 23 Jul 2026
BENGALURU: Nine migrant workers from West Bengal suffered severe burn injuries after a powerful gas cylinder leak explosion ripped through a private paying guest (PG) accommodation in Bengaluru early on Thursday.
The blast occurred at around 6.30 am on the second floor of a three-storey building. Triggered by a gas leak in the kitchen, the explosion shattered windows and doors across the floor and also caused damage to a neighbouring building.
All nine workers were staying in a single-bedroom unit with a small kitchen and bathroom. One worker jumped from the building to escape and suffered a minor fracture, while the others sustained burn injuries covering more than 60 per cent of their bodies. Doctors said all the injured are currently in stable condition despite the severity of their injuries.
The injured have been identified as Debasis Halder, Debasis Malik, Subrata Bera, Hsbibul Rehman, Sourav Chowdhary, Santan Ray, Syed Alahuddin, and Diswanatb, all natives of West Bengal.
After inspecting the site, Joint Commissioner of Police (East Division) Ramesh Banoth said the premises were riddled with violations. He said investigators are examining how nine people were allowed to stay in a single room.
The PG consists of several similar units, each reportedly accommodating multiple labourers.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the explosion was caused by the accumulation of gas from a leaking cylinder. Officials believe the workers had kept all the windows closed overnight to prevent mosquitoes from entering, allowing the leaked gas to build up inside the room.
Police said the cylinder belonged to a local private brand and are verifying the credentials of the company as well as the quality of the cylinder, regulator and connecting pipes.
The building is owned by Nagaraj Reddy and has been leased to Gangaraju, who operates the PG accommodation.
