At least six people, including a young boy, were injured and two shops were gutted in a cylinder explosion at a push-cart eatery in Tirunelveli on Thursday evening, according to officials. The incident occurred at a samosa shop located on Vadakku Ratha Veedhi in the town’s bustling North Car Street.






Among the injured individuals, three have been identified as Sheik Ali, Mariappan (33) and Chinnadurai (23).







 


The explosion, believed to have been caused by a leaking LPG cylinder, happened around 5 PM when the area fortunately had fewer people around, preventing what could have been a more significant disaster. Among the injured was a man working at the mobile eatery. All the injured were quickly taken to Tirunelveli Government Medical College Hospital for immediate medical attention.
















A video capturing the explosion and the ensuing chaos has since gone viral on social media, drawing widespread attention to the incident.


 






 


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Eyewitnesses reported a loud blast followed by flames engulfing the shop. The fire, which damaged several nearby shops and other push-cart eateries, was swiftly contained by fire tenders who arrived promptly at the scene.


Local police have stated that the samosa shop was completely gutted in the fire following the explosion. While preliminary investigations point to a gas leak as the probable cause, officials are conducting a thorough investigation to determine the exact cause of the blast, according to a report on PTI.


Residents and shop owners in the vicinity are being urged to ensure the proper maintenance of gas cylinders to prevent similar incidents in the future.