Explosion in Hyderabad hotel damages six huts

Hyderabad, Nov 11 (IANS) A huge explosion in a hotel in Hyderabad’s upscale Jubilee Hills damaged six nearby huts on Sunday. Two persons have been injured in the incident.

The explosion occurred in Telangana Spice Kitchen on Road Number One Jubilee Hills. According to police, the explosion damaged the boundary wall of the hotel. Some of the stones and cement bricks of the wall flew in the air and fell on huts about 20 metres away.

Six huts were damaged in the incident, which sent panic among people in Durga Bhavani Nagar Basti. A few electric poles were also knocked under the impact of the blast.

Police rushed to the spot. Two persons sustained minor injuries.

The clues team and bomb disposal squad were on the scene to gather clues. Disaster Response Force (DRF) and fire services personnel had also rushed to the spot. Police later said that a refrigerator compressor exploded in the hotel resulting in the accident.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Vijay Kumar, Assistant Commissioner of Police Venkatagiri and other senior officials visited the scene and spoke to the hotel's management.

Khairatabad MLA Danam Nagender also visited the spot and spoke to residents. The affected people demanded compensation from the government.

An injured woman said that the stones flying in the air under the impact of the explosion fell on the houses. She added all household goods were damaged.

Another resident said that each house suffered a loss of Rs 50,000 to Rs1 lakh and urged the government to provide compensation to them.

The incident left the residents badly shaken. Most of the people were asleep in their huts when the explosion occurred.

Preliminary reports suggest gas leakage in the kitchen caused the explosion. Later, the police said that a refrigerator compressor exploded.

A police officer said that further investigations into the incident were on.

--IANS

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