‘Blessing in disguise’: Wrong number did the right thing in B’luru warehouse blast

Team Udayavani, Sep 24, 2021, 1:42 PM IST

Bengaluru: A wrong number dialed by a passerby near New Tharagupe, part of Bengaluru’s Pete area saved many lives on Thursday, September 23.

Two persons were killed in the explosion in a Bengaluru warehouse, due to the firecrackers stocked there, howeve, this huge tragedy could have been deadlier if not for Suresh R, a resident of Chamarajpet who passed through the Sri Pathrakali Amman Lorry Service warehouse moments before the powerful explosion tore through it.

When Suresh was just about to turn to the next alley when he heard the sound of the explosion and rushed back to see what happened. He was shocked to see human flesh was strewn all over. But what made him furious was the people capturing the pandemonium on their phones instead of calling the ambulance. However, he decided to do it himself.

In a hurry he dialed 101 (fire brigade) instead of 108 (for the ambulance) and narrated what had happened.

The person on the other side of the line asked him to share the location details by WhatsApp. Suresh did as told and also gave him the nearest landmark.

In less than five minutes, fire and emergency services personnel were at the blast site and launched firefighting, spraying water into the firecracker-stuffed cartons in the warehouse to ensure the fire doesn’t spread further, while the injured were rushed to hospital by goods vehicles.

Suresh’s mistake proved to be a blessing in disguise.

However, two persons were killed in the explosion. The deceased were identified as Muralidhar, and Aslam.

Meanwhile, the police have arrested the warehouse owner Babu and are questioning him.

Sources said that one part of the building was used to stock crackers, and three boxes exploded, while 80 boxes each containing 15 to 20 kg remain intact.