Arya News - Gas-filled birthday balloons exploded inside a lift in a residential building in Mumbai earlier this week, injuring at least two people.
Credit: Newslions / SWNS
Gas-filled birthday balloons exploded inside a lift in a residential building in Mumbai earlier this week, injuring at least two people.
CCTV footage, shared online, shows a woman entering the lift with a suitcase, followed by two men, one of them carrying a bunch of balloons.
Within seconds, the balloons exploded, filling the lift with flames and injuring at least two people.
CCTV captures the moment Raju Kumar Mahato enters the lift with the balloons at about 10.30pm on Monday - Jam Press
Himani Tapriya, 21, suffered burns to her right arm, neck and abdomen, while Raju Kumar Mahato, a 32-year-old delivering the balloons, was also hurt. Both were taken to hospital, where they were reported to be in a stable condition.
All three individuals escaped from the lift, in Anmol Tower, in Goregaon West, Mumbai, after the explosion, which happened at around 10.30pm on February 2.
Authorities have launched an investigation into the gas used to fill the balloons - Jam Press
Police said Mr Mahato had been delivering the balloons for a birthday party on the 10th floor of the residential property when the explosion took place.
Authorities have launched an investigation against TK Jaiswal, the owner of the shop that provided the balloons. Officials have alleged that the proper safety measures were not provided for handling the highly flammable gas balloons.
The balloons were being delivered for a birthday party on the 10th floor of the residential block - Jam Press
“[Mr] Jaiswal has been booked under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Section 125 (negligence) and has been served a notice,” said an officer from the Goregaon police station. “He did not provide safety instructions to the delivery person, which led to the incident.”
It has not been confirmed what gas was used to fill the balloons but investigators have questioned whether they were filled with hydrogen – which, unlike helium, is highly flammable.
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