[ajmat]

This was a terrible weekend. After a nice infused lunch with our close friends in their garden till late afternoon, we returned home and I was relaxing.

Before I go on - my residence consists of 12 apartments - 3 are empty. Only three of the apartments have occupants below 60 years old. We have strived to ensure all occupants are safe and they stay within their apartments. I am the President of the Association.

What I initially faced

Moving back to where I started, at 7 PM, I was chilling out on the sofa when I heard an explosion like a major bomb. Car alarms started ringing, grabbed my mask and rushed out to find, right at the entrance, a young man half sprawled under my neighbours Mini Cooper, a small chunk of the tree near him and lots of powder There was no apparent damage, but lots of small debris.

You think you have all your wits around you in such a situation but this is never the case. Coming down the stairs were two-three young ladies whom I have never seen before. I had no idea who the person, sprawled on the ground, was, another person unknown to me was shouting and trying to pump his chest.

Context is everything, no context really throws you off. One of my neighbours daughter in law shouts out to go to the hospital nearby to get a stretcher. Ran to hospital across the road to get help, but being a COVID facility, there was no casualty department. A doctor did emerge but the poor youth was well gone. Later, we noticed that his feet had blown off. One foot was lying next to the Mini. The person swore he had a heartbeat, I doubted it very much.

In the melee, I got the context. My neighbour (who is a tenant) was celebrating his birthday. He had gone to the temple for his blessing and was visiting his elders up the road. His girlfriend (remember the young ladies coming down the stairs) wanted to decorate the house for a family dinner and found a balloon seller online and that person was now dead on our driveway.

Responding to the Incident

Returning to the incident, we called for an ambulance. Meanwhile, my neighbour came rushing in. He manages a major hotel, so his security team came on site in 15 min. The police were alerted.

It seemed to take forever, but the ambulance came in 15 min then left as the person was dead. As this was a crime scene and the person was dead, he could not be moved. Strangely enough, a whole load of people came in and started wailing - later I found out these were professional wailers and not actual relatives - I dont know who called them but they came quick. The police patrol car arrived and the police took stock. 10 min later, a team of investigators appeared. In the meanwhile, I instructed my security to close the gates and ensure the relevant folks remain on site. I deferred to the hotel security team to control and co-ordinate.

Communication

Next was the communication aspect - Already the area residents WhatsApp group was buzzing about what happened. I first messaged that an explosion has happened and more details will be forthcoming. I then messaged explaining the situation and that the police are on site.

As for the residents within, I explained the situation and advised them not to come out, the crowd (25 policemen on site ) and potential shock would put a lot of them at risk.

I made it a point to provide updates as and when.

What cause the explosion?

The 19 year old youth was actually filling balloons from a cylinder canister. One thinks it is helium but it is not. It is a crude mix of aluminium powder, calcium hydroxide or something like that to produce something like acetylene. My security person told me that they were initially working in the apartment. He took the cylinder out and kept adding more chemicals to generate gas. The cylinder had the properties of a rusty milk can and exploded. The blast threw the boy against the tree and then half under the Mini. The cars were spattered with some calcite substance.

This was tragic but could have been worse

• Our security guy had popped inside for something and was coming out, he was covered with the powder and had light burns
• One 80 year old neighbour just walked in and had settled down to watch TV. If he had been 5 min later, the canister could have exploded ion him and the shock would have got him.
• The only child in the apartment regularly cycles in front.
• The gas generated did not inflame, the explosion was caused b the structural failure of the can
• The casualty rate would have been much higher had the explosion happened inside the apartment

I counted 20-30 police were on site., the station head and later the ACP also appeared on site. The press landed up. We formed a human barrier to avoid the body being filmed but they recorded the severed foot.

At around 10PM, I went back in as they awaited the forensics team.

Later at midnight, I peep out to see that they were removing the body. However, only one foot was found. This resulted in a search of the bushes, we pulled as some cars out, checked the balconies to no avail. This went on till 2 am.

The place was a still a crime scene so we had the police camping out all night. The plan was to bring in the dog squad.

The next day morning, a platoon along with the dog squad came. This was all recorded. One of my absentee neighbours driver came in and together we moved all the cars out to complete the search. The search was fruitless and came up with nothing.

By 12.30, they left and we spent this next couple of hours sorting and segregating the debris. We managed to get a high pressure washer from the hotel to clean up the driveway which was full of calcite powder.

A life unnecessarily lost.

Update - The other foot was found 5 days later about 400 feet away on top of an old shed. It was spotted from a neighbouring apartment. We think a kite or something picked it up. The cops also think so. They promptly came and recovered it.



Some pictures

The blast zone - that scooter is only 3 months old



Photo taken from the blast zone. On my right was the body etc which I will not post. You can get an idea of the blast residence. The top of the canister can be seen. The rest of it was on the other side



A picture of the scooter in the day



The remnants of the canister and the other equipment. All this was removed as evidence.



Some Learnings

1. No one will understand what is happening in the immediate aftermath. Take time to understand the context of the scenario
2. Communicate, instruct and keep informed - Neighbours and the neighbourhood were kept informed and politely asked to maintain distance
3. People are willing to assist. Some want to contribute to the family of the victim. Legal liabilities need to be resolved first
4. The whole experience is draining
5. The blast shock does strange things to some cars. A Honda Jazz had its map lights switched on by the blast. The Mini required the steering to be moved to reset the sensors after the blast.
6. Never allow balloon machines in your premises, better still avoid balloons, the mess and the waste are not worth it.

[ruzbehxyz]

This is something very very terrible that has happened. The main point is that it was mistake and not deliberate.

Here is a link which explains the difference between helium and Ballon gas in cylinders.
https://www.partysafe.eu/balloon-gas-helium

Similar incidents have happened in the past.
A 19-year-old labourer who was pumping helium into balloons for a birthday party was killed when the cylinder exploded.
Link: https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities...le35128702.ece

[Kosfactor]

It is becoming increasingly common, I have seen how those Balloons explode in a party completely on their own due to static electricity sparks. These balloon get stuck on the ceiling and rub on each other, just perfect.

What they are filling in the name of a very expensive gas called Helium is in reality a combustible gas called Acetylene and sometimes Hydrogen as well. Which can explode too.

As OP says, best to avoid floating balloons and just get them to use normal air balloon.

Originally Posted by ruzbehxyz

I am eager to know what are the actual contents of the cylinder ?
Was there anything illegal added to the cylinder ?
Who will be held responsible for this ?

This is the reaction that is happening in that cylinder, if you stuff too much into it - Boom.

Calcium Carbide reacting with Water.


https://melscience.com/GB-en/article...ide-and-its-r/

[2000rpm]

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

What they are filling in the name of a very expensive gas called Helium is in reality a combustible gas called Acetylene and sometimes Hydrogen as well. Which can explode too.

If I remember by school chemistry correctly, isnt the mixture used for welding called Oxy-Acetylene flame? Why are dumb people using this?

Also very surprised to know that such speciality chemicals can be procured so easily. This is alarming! no doubt you had 25 plus police with ACP on premise.

[KL01toKA03]

A sad incident. If you don't mind sharing, please explain what happened to the police investigation? Was the family which organized the event charged with any case, or was the blame placed on the vendor? Might be useful to know in case of other accidents involving vendors.

[srini1785]

Originally Posted by ajmat

What cause the explosion?

The 19 year old youth was actually filling balloons from a cylinder canister. One thinks it is helium but it is not. It is a crude mix of aluminium powder, calcium hydroxide or something like that to produce something like acetylene. My security person told me that they were initially working in the apartment. He took the cylinder out and kept adding more chemicals to generate gas. The cylinder had the properties of a rusty milk can and exploded. The blast threw the boy against the tree and then half under the Mini. The cars were spattered with some calcite substance.

Sorry for the loss of life and mental distress that you are in. However, it can't get any more dangerous and dumber than this. IMO, its not the acetylene which caused this explosion but hydrogen , the most notoriously combustible gas in the world. If it was the acetylene, you would have had a fire accident as well with everything up in flames. The fact that you have calcite deposits everywhere says that probably the hydrogen exploded violently.

I was also witness to the explosive power of hydrogen some years back in a petrochemical plant when Naptha leaked from a valve and exploded. The guy working there was blown a full 15 ft from the explosion while we, sitting in the site office, had a hard thud in our chest. Luckily, the person survived and the plant declared an industrial accident and was shut down for almost a week. This, in spite of sophisticated gas detectors and plant trip mechanisms which failed to kick in.

BTW, You are in for some rough time with the police and authorities. If possible keep a lawyer ready because it would get rough from here on. All possible scenarios would unfold : Court case against the society for organizing an unlawful event, negligence leading to death etc.

PS : So guys don't opt for Toyota Mirai.

[Raghu M]

Again, these are vital lessons that can decide life and death. I have also seen people using the party foam as they wish. It is highly inflammable and can cause serious burn injuries. My friend was blowing away the candles when someone used the foam, there was a huge fire balloon and my friend's face got burnt. He suffered second degree burns and had to be taken to a nearby clinic for first aid. This is a terrible incident which could have resulted in more loss. Stay safe.

[TrackDay]

I have often seen such old canisters/cylinders being used without anyone batting an eyelid. Never knew the impact would be this big. Then again anything that is pressurized is bound to have this kind of effect after failure. Feeling bad for the young guy who was trying to make a living. Kindly ensure that the association will ban entry of such pressurized cans/cylinders without prior approval. It is a risk for all humans/property on the premises.

If possible do get some counselling or see someone since you as well as other members of the building have been subject to shock and such a scenario.

Originally Posted by Raghu M

I have also seen people using the party foam as they wish. It is highly inflammable and can cause serious burn injuries.

This is happening everywhere despite all such videos coming out. The person blowing the candles is not aware of the situation and the fault lies on the ones spraying it. The effect is compounded when there are 3 -5 people spraying at the same time. Injuries attained are lifelong in some case.

[SnS_12]

Any balloon filled with flammable gas and those sprays with snow foam are a strict NO in any party and especially the ones which are conducted indoors. These are disasters waiting to happen.

[navin_v8]

This is a classic example of a disaster waiting to happen. It also shows our lackluster attitude towards personal and environmental safety. In the hindsight the incident could've been much more disastrous if the venue was crowded.

I have come across people saying with apathy, "Whatever has to happen will happen, no matter what you do." Agreed, but that does not mean one can take safety for granted and do nothing to prevent a disaster. Safety Awareness is the only key.

The youth who lost his life had no idea what he is dealing with and for sure wasn't trained to handle such hazardous substances and paid with his life.

During my nephew's birthday party we wanted many balloons to match the theme. I searched on Amazon India and came across a manual hand pump to fill air in balloons. It costed a mere 200 bucks and could be reused.

I hope the deceased person's family comes to terms with this situation and also the families who have been shocked due to this incident.

[promit]

Oh my gosh.. Balloons at surprise/birthday/wedding parties are fairly commonplace nowadays. When you say an online balloon seller, is it like one booked on Urban Clap? Is the vendor in the picture. You mentioned something about professional wailers reaching in no time, can you share more about that??

[abhishek46]

Originally Posted by navin_v8

During my nephew's birthday party we wanted many balloons to match the theme. I searched on Amazon India and came across a manual hand pump to fill air in balloons. It costed a mere 200 bucks and could be reused.

I agree.
It also possible to do the same using a vacuum cleaner (set to blower mode).
There is a cheap attachment which can be stuck on to the vacuum cleaner's hose, specifically for baloon inflation.

[CarNerd]

A tragic incident. I just don't understand what's the need for balloons filled with such dangerous gases except Oxygen? Why to use such potentially hazardous substances which require great caution in handling just for fun? I remember seeing a Whatsapp video in which a girl who was sprayed with foam caught fire from candles at a birthday party. Who on earth comes up with such ideas?

I also don't get the tradition of smearing cake on the face, giving birthday bumps which can cause spinal injuries, etc. A birthday is to enjoy not to put someone at risk! Should we follow everything that the westerners do?

[alpha1]

Tragic incident, only highlights what we have long known:
1) common people are not aware of the hazards lurking in their regular lives.
2) poor people knowingly or unknowingly compromise with their safety to earn living
3) hazardous/dangerous substance are easily available in India

It was interesting to note that there was no panic in the public (perhaps I missed that part?)

[s4ch]

Originally Posted by ajmat

Strangely enough, a whole load of people came in and started wailing - later I found out these were professional wailers and not actual relatives - I dont know who called them but they came quick.

Sorry to hear about this terrible incident. Wonder when proper health and safety will be properly established and regulated in India.

Out of curiousity, what are professional wailers and what do they want? My guess is money claiming to be next of kin?