Blast near Bengaluru airport injures six workers

Bengaluru: On Monday, six workers were injured by an explosion in a molten plastic paint machine near the underpass of the second terminal of the Kempegowda International Airport. The airport police said that two of the six workers named Ajay Kumar and Siraj are critical after suffering over 40 per cent burns.

The other identified people were Avinash, Goutam, Prashanth, Nagesh and all have been admitted to Victoria Hospital.

The workers were using a thermoplastic road marking machine to paint the zebra crossing and signages on the roads leading up to the airport terminal.

The exact reason for the blast is still unknown, however, according to the primary sources, a substantial amount of vapour and most could have been released causing the accident.

The police explained, “Perhaps storage of paint material, overspray could have drifted into surrounding areas, mixing with the air and accumulating in enclosed or unventilated areas leading to a blast.”

The blaze reached the underpass at a rapid pace. The police said, “Security guards rushed to the spot after hearing the workers’ cries and took them to hospital. Firefighters soon arrived at the scene but it wasn’t before two hours that they doused the flames.”

This is the first time that such an accident has happened during the construction of the airport’s second terminal which has been going on for the past few years.

The police informed that they have registered a complaint against the company under contract for ignorance and failure to take precaution for the safety of the workers.

The Kempegowda International Airport began to construct a garden terminal called T2 in 2019 bit, due to the pandemic and subsequent lockdown, the work was extended and is likely to be completed in 2022 instead of March this year.

The terminal will have trees, small gardens and ponds with local species of plants. The design is inspired by Bengaluru’s unique tag as a ‘Garden City’.