An explosion in an underground Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) tank of a fuel station close to the Governor’s House here left nine persons injured on Wednesday.
Fire occurred when CNG was filled into the tank of a vehicle around noon. “The CNG chamber accidentally caught fire leading to the explosion. Fortunately, the diesel and petrol tanks did not catch fire,” said Sudhansu Sarangi, Commissioner of Police for Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.
Fire tenders were immediately pressed into service and the situation was brought under control, he said.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced free medical treatment to those injured and wished their speedy recovery.
An eyewitness said people were queuing up to fill up fuel when the explosion took place. They ran helter-skelter leaving their vehicles. Around 20 to 25 people, who were present at the time of the mishap, received burn injuries. The roof of the fuel station was damaged. Some passersby also sustained injuries.
Both fire service personnel and officials of oil and gas companies were assessing the situation.
