Leaking gas pipeline sparks fire in Andheri East, three injured

Two vehicles were also damaged; FIR filed against JCB operator, contractor

- Linah Baliga and Manish Pathak

MUMBAI: The MIDC police have filed an FIR against a JCB operator and a road contractor for their negligence which resulted in leakage of piped natural gas from a Mahanagar Gas Ltd (MGL) pipeline running through the middle of a road in Andheri (East). The gas leak caused a Level 1 (minor emergency call) fire to erupt which affected three moving vehicles and injured the drivers in the early hours of Sunday.

The incident occurred at 12.35 am on Sunday near Sher-e-Punjab colony in Andheri East. The vehicles that caught fire were two-wheelers belonging to Arvindkumar Kathial, 21, and Aman Saroj, 22. Kathial sustained 30-40% burns, while Saroj suffered 40-50% injuries. The vehicle of auto rickshaw driver Suresh Kailas Gupta (52) was spared but he sustained 20% burns. Gupta and Kathial took discharge against medical advice from the trauma care hospital to which they were admitted in Jogeshwari.