Kolkata: A major accident in Birbhum’s Rampurhat on Wednesday morning left two men grievously injured after an oxygen cylinder suddenly exploded during unloading. The incident took place near a shop along National Highway–14, where a lorry carrying multiple oxygen cylinders had stopped to deliver supplies.
According to eyewitnesses, the driver of the vehicle, Abu Taleb, and his assistant, Uzir Hossain, were in the process of unloading the cylinders when one of them slipped from their hands and hit the ground with force. Within seconds, the cylinder burst with a massive explosion. The blast was so intense that the impact left both men critically injured — one reportedly lost an arm while the other’s leg was severed. Locals later said that the separated limbs were found nearly 50 feet away from the spot, which shows the sheer force of the detonation. People nearby rushed to take the injured duo to Rampurhat Government Medical College and Hospital.
Doctors at the hospital confirmed that both victims are battling for their lives due to extensive injuries and heavy blood loss. Police officers from Rampurhat Police Station soon reached the site, cordoned off the area and began inspecting the damaged cylinder and the lorry. Preliminary assumptions suggest an internal fault in the cylinder may have triggered the explosion, but authorities have not yet confirmed the exact cause.