Nepal: One Killed, seven injured in an explosion at an oxygen plant in an industrial area in Lalitpur district near Kathmandu

Kathmandu:  An Indian national was killed and seven others were injured on Thursday in an explosion at an oxygen plant in an industrial area in Lalitpur district near Kathmandu.

The explosion occurred at the Sagarmatha Oxygen Plant inside the Patan industrial estate on Thursday morning while workers were filling in the gas in a cylinder, police said. The explosion also destroyed the zinc roof of the oxygen plant and broke windows of adjacent buildings.

In the explosion, one Indian national identified as Brij Kumar Mahato died while another Indian and six Nepalese nationals were injured, police said. The injured have been admitted to B and B Hospital in Lalitpur.

The condition of the injured Indian national is said to be critical, according to Superintendent of Police Siddha Bikram Shah of the Lalitpur Metropolitan Police Range. Home Minister Balkrishna Khand has instructed the police to immediately carry out rescue works and investigate the accident.