Vadodara: Six people were injured after an explosion at the office of Shriram General Insurance Company, located in Chitraksh Complex on Old Padra Road in the city. The injured were taken to Sterling Hospital, where five are reported to be improving, while one is in critical condition and receiving treatment in the ICU.

Initially, reports had suggested that the blast had occurred in the air conditioner (AC) of the office, but according to the latest information based on the preliminary FSL report, the blast did not take place in the AC. Instead, the explosion occurred due to the accumulation of methane gas in the drainage pipe of the toilet.

A police officer said that there was no explosion in the AC of the Shriram General Insurance Company office. “The FSL has provided a preliminary report indicating that due to high humidity during the monsoon, methane gas accumulated in the office through the toilet. The toilet door was open, and the office had been closed for the last two days. This morning, when the staff arrived and opened the doors, an explosion occurred while turning on the electric switch. As the main door of the office was open when the explosion occurred, the impact of the blast was reduced; had the main door been closed, the impact would have been greater,” the officer added.

A local police team, including the ACP and DCP, along with a fire officer and a team from the fire department, arrived at the scene following the report of the blast, which caused the glass panes in the office to shatter. A fire extinguisher was present in the office, but the sofa, tubelight, and ceiling fan were damaged.

The injured individuals have been identified as Vikas Solanki, Gautham Solanki, Vipul Chauhan, Anchit Parikh, Ushal Desai, and Punita Antani.

Fire Officer Amit Chaudhary told the media that the fire broke out in the 25-by-25-foot insurance office on the third floor. Six employees were working there at the time of the explosion. The site has been inspected, and police are conducting an investigation. “We are looking into what caused the explosion. Prima facie, the AC wiring appears to be melted. All the injured have been admitted to Sterling Hospital, and we plan to visit them to assess the situation further. The police department will compile a full report, but the cause of the explosion will be determined after an investigation by the FSL.”

Police Inspector R.N. Patel, in charge of the Akota police station, stated that the entire incident is currently under investigation. All six injured in the incident are being treated at a nearby private hospital. The police have initiated further investigations into the matter. DeshGujarat