Balloon cylinder blast near Mysuru Palace kills 1 (Picture credit: PTI)
MYSURU: A 42-year-old balloon seller died and four people, including three tourists, were injured after a jumbo cylinder used to fill balloons with helium exploded in front of Mysuru Palace’s main entry gate late Thursday.Ruling out foul play, police sources said the name of the deceased was not immediately known.One of the injured tourists, identified as Lakshmi from Bengaluru, was said to be in critical condition. Other injured tourists were Manjula from Nanjangud and Kotresh Gutte from Ranebannur. The fourth injured, Shalina Shabbir, was a native of Kolkata. All injured were rushed to KR Hospital in Mysuru.The severity of the explosion, which occurred around 8.30pm, was such that the sound of the blast was heard even 1km away.At the time of the accident, the main gate had been closed to visitors, while tourists were milling inside the illuminated royal edifice as Mysuru Palace Board had hosted a flower show and a musical event as part of its winter festival.Within minutes of the blast, cops rushed to the spot and shifted the injured to the hospital. Forensic experts gathered evidence from the spot. City police commissioner Seema Latkar visited the site.
