Patna: A powerful explosion, suspected to have been caused by a gas leak after a PNG pipeline was damaged during drain construction, killed a coaching centre owner and injured six people in Muzaffarpur’s Gobarsahi area under Sadar police station area on Monday. The blast was heard up to 3km away and damaged several houses and vehicles, said locals.The deceased, Srinivas Singh, a resident of Srinagar Colony, was returning on his scooty after depositing his child’s school fees at a school when the explosion occurred. His father, Shyam Nandan Chaudhary, is a retired excise department sub-inspector. Srinivas suffered fatal head injuries.According to residents, an earth-moving machine engaged in drain construction near the pipeline accidentally damaged the underground gas line, triggering the blast.The explosion damaged a four-storey building and shattered windowpanes of houses within a 100-metre radius. Several other houses and vehicles were also damaged. Two motorcycle riders sustained burn injuries. An SUV bearing a Vaishali registration number and carrying a JD(U) flag was caught in the blast, injuring its two occupants.All six injured were taken to hospitals. Vijay Ram (32) of Dumri and Vikas Kumar (27) of Paramaul village in Vaishali were admitted to SKMCH. Mukesh Kumar (20) of Baradampur, Sonam Kumari (36) of Gobarsahi, and Mohammad Ayan (17) and his mother Ruksana Khatun (40) were admitted to a private hospital in Gobarsahi.Fire brigade teams rushed to the spot as panic gripped the locality.District magistrate Kumar Gaurav said the PNG pipeline was damaged during drain construction by the road construction department. “One person has died and six others have been injured. Compensation, as admissible under disaster relief provisions, will be provided to the family of the deceased,” he said.SSP Kantesh Kumar Mishra said one injured person was critical, with around 60% burns. “A case is being registered against the contractor engaged in the work and other officials after proper investigation,” he said.
