Transformer blast: 2 succumb to injuries

The two people who suffered severe burn injuries on Wednesday following an electric transformer blast in Ullal have succumbed to their injuries, authorities said on Thursday. The deceased have been identified as Shivaraj, 55, and his daughter Chaitanya (25).

The accident took place when the father and daughter were returning home on a bike after booking a convention centre for Chaitanya’s engagement ceremony. When Shivaraj had slowed down the scooter to cross a road hump, a nearby Bescom transformer exploded, the police said.

They suffered burn injuries, as they got drenched by the hot oil from the transformer, and were rushed to Victoria hospital. Their scooter also got burnt. While Shivaraj died on Wednesday, Chaitanya breathed her last at 2 am on Thursday.

Meanwhile following orders by the Minister for Cooperation and local MLA S.T. Somashekar, Jnanabharthi police have lodged an FIR against the Executive Engineer and other officers of the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited for criminal negligence. Local residents claim they had earlier complained about transformer oil leakage, but no action was taken.