Oxygen Cylinder Blast at Okhla Godown Kills One, Injures Four

NEW DELHI, Sep 9: A 35-year-old worker was killed and four others injured after an oxygen cylinder exploded during unloading at a godown in Delhi’s Okhla Phase-I on Wednesday, police said.

The deceased, identified as Mohit Singh, a resident of Jaipur, was working as a helper with SM Traders for the past three years. He died on the spot.

The injured workers — Umesh, Arvind, Manoj and Pankaj — were rushed to the AIIMS Trauma Centre for treatment.

According to police, a PCR call regarding the incident was received at the Okhla Industrial Area police station at around 10:43 am. The Delhi Fire Services received information about the blast at 11:55 am and rushed fire personnel to the spot. Police and forensic teams also reached the premises and joined the investigation.

Fire Officer Manish Sehrawat said the blast occurred while workers were unloading cylinders from a vehicle.

During the preliminary investigation, police found that a truck from Ghaziabad had brought commercial oxygen cylinders to the premises. The workers were unloading the cylinders and moving them into the godown when one cylinder reportedly fell from the vehicle onto the road and exploded immediately.

Officials said the premises had been operating as a rented godown of SM Traders for around one to two years. The firm is reportedly involved in the local distribution of industrial oxygen cylinders and does not appear to have an oxygen-filling plant at the site.

Preliminary information suggests that around 70 to 80 cylinders are handled at the godown daily and supplied to local traders and industries, particularly in the Okhla area. The cylinders are used for various purposes, including medical oxygen, nitrogen gas, welding and gas cutting.

Police are now verifying the firm’s records, the source and ownership of the cylinders, supplier credentials and the statutory permissions required for their storage, handling and transportation.

However, the exact technical cause of the explosion remains under investigation, officials said.