By Shivani P Menon
On the night of Christmas, a tragic incident occurred near the exhibition ground, close to the Jayamarthanda Gate of the Mysore Palace, when a helium cylinder used by a balloon vendor blasted, killing the vendor on the spot and injuring four others too.
The blast happened around 8.30 pm, a peak where thousands of visitors were roaming around the palace, also a music concert by Vasuki Vaibhav was happening 100m away from the accident area. There was also a flower show organised by the Mysore Palace Boards near the Mysore Palace.
Seema Latkar, Commissioner of Police that the four injured people were identified as Lakshmi from Bengaluru, who is in a critical condition, Manjula from Nanjangud, Kotreshi from Ranebennur and Shahina Shabeer from Kolkata. They were rushed to K.R. Hospital for immediate treatment.
The balloon vendor, who died on the spot, was identified as Saleem (40), a native of Tofiya village in Kannauj district of Uttar Pradesh. He used to sell balloons at the same place regularly. Ms Latkar said that he was carrying a portable cylinder on his bicycle, which blasted and resulted in this incident. She also said that as of now, the death toll remains one.
The concert was stopped after the blast, and as a precautionary measure, the crowd was asked to go back to their homes. To speed up the emergency response, roads opposite to the palace and the exhibition grounds were closed.
To investigate the cause of the explosion and to avoid any foul play, police, dog squad, a forensic team, fire personnel, and an anti bomb squad reached the area. People are concerned about the safety measures during a major event involving helium cylinders in a crowded area.