Kolkata's Jodhpur Park was rocked by an explosion on Wednesday. The blast occurred at a cafe and an employee of the establishment was injured in the incident, local councillor Mousumi Das was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
The impact of the explosion blew the shutter and smashed the windows. "We initially thought the explosion might have been caused by an LPG cylinder," councillor Mousumi Das said. Police and fire brigade personnel are at the spot and investigating the incident.
According to Bengali media website Ei Samay, the cafe was engulfed in fire immediately after the blast, which occurred at 11 AM when the cafe was being opened.
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The report cited police sources and identified the injured cafe worker as one Chandrakumar Gurung. He was initially sent to a local hospital and then shifted to MR Bangur Hospital. Other cafe workers said that Gurung suffered extensive burn injuries. He was taken to the hospital in a critical condition.
A team from the Lake police station and a fire engine reached the spot. The fire was brought under control and the cafe owner was taken to the Lake police station for questioning.
The explosion and subsequent fire caused damage worth thousands but the true extent is being ascertained.
A resident of the area said that a gas cylinder inside the cafe seemed to have leaked in the night resulting in an accumulation of gas inside the cafe. The explosion occurred right when after the shutters were opened.
However, the fire department is investigating the exact cause of the explosion.
The Jodhpur Park incident comes barely a month after an under-construction restaurant in Park Street and a Kasba mall caught fire. While the Park Street fire occurred on June 11, the Acropolis Mall in the Kasba area of Kolkata was engulfed in a blaze on June 14. The Acropolis Mall reopened on August 3.
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