Unprecedented blast in Agartala shakes RCC Building, highlights safety concerns

Agartala (Tripura) [India], July 25 : A severe blast occurred a few days ago on the first floor of a reinforced cement concrete (RCC) building located on Akhawara Road, near the Police Headquarters in Agartala, Tripura. The relatively new building serves as the residence of a local doctor, an official said.
According to District Magistrate Tripura, Vishal Kumar, the doctor had stored oxygen cylinders inside a room since the COVID-19 pandemic to address the medical needs of his spouse, who is a kidney patient. Additionally, the septic tank of the building had not been checked or cleaned for an extended period, leading to the accumulation of contamination and adverse gases.
Both factors are believed to have contributed to the blast, which rocked the building, shattered its walls, and threw the couple from the first floor to the ground. Fortunately, no fatalities have been reported, but the incident has caused significant damage to the building.
This incident has raised serious safety concerns among the residents, serving as a stark reminder that similar blasts can happen at any time if proper precautions are not taken. Authorities are urging homeowners to regularly maintain and inspect their septic tanks and to handle oxygen cylinders with the utmost care to prevent such disasters in the future.
DM Kumar said, "An unfortunate incident happened last Thursday night in which Dr Biswajit Sutradhar and his wife Rupa Sutradhar got injured. The preliminary investigations reveal that oxygen cylinders were there in their home, and there were chemical reactions that caused the blast."
The effect of the blast was so severe that it broke the wall and destroyed all the furniture, which caused a physical injury to them. Dr Biswajit has recovered, but his wife is under treatment outside the state, he added.
He said that the preliminary investigations revealed that the oxygen cylinders have been kept inside the house since the COVID-19 pandemic. There is an important message from the administration that such oxygen cylinders or LPG cylinders should not be kept in the room like this.
"These cylinders, which are not in use, should be stored outside the room, like in an open space like the balcony. There was also some gas reaction in the septic tank of that house. So for common people, I want to say that they must do regular inspection of their septic tank and keep it clean regularly," CM Kumar said.
"The third reason is the structural disability in the building wall. So I want to request that all citizens follow the municipality-approved plans and be in touch with the engineers while constructing houses follow the proper guidelines and do regular inspections. All these will ensure the stability of the house," he added.