MOHALI, August 6 — A high-intensity blast at an oxygen manufacturing unit in Industrial Area, Phase 9, claimed the lives of two workers and left three others injured on Wednesday morning, triggering panic and widespread damage across the vicinity.
The deceased were identified as Asif (28) and Devinder, confirmed SDM Damandeep Kaur, who reached the site shortly after the incident. The injured were rushed to nearby hospitals.
According to preliminary reports, the blast occurred at High Tech Gases Private Limited, a facility known to supply medical oxygen to PGI Chandigarh and other government hospitals. While the exact cause is yet to be confirmed, police have not ruled out a gas leak and swiftly evacuated nearby buildings as a precaution.
The explosion was so powerful that window panes of the administration block and adjacent buildings were blown out, and debris, including body parts and oxygen cylinder fragments, were found scattered across the blast zone. Shockingly, some debris even landed in Kambala village, nearly 1 km away, residents said.
“Around 25 workers were inside the plant when the explosion occurred,” a local official said. Emergency teams, including fire tenders, police, and ambulances, responded promptly and continued with relief operations into the afternoon.
Eyewitnesses described scenes of devastation. “We heard a deafening sound, and moments later, the entire area was shaking. Windows were smashed, and there was smoke and chaos everywhere,” a nearby worker recalled.
Authorities have sealed off the site, and an investigation is underway to determine the exact cause of the blast.
