The battered door at a businessman’s house rocked by a mysterious explosion. Picture by Hardeep Singh

Ranchi, March 12: Smashed windowpanes, twisted collapsible iron gates were all that was left of a businessman’s ground floor flat after a freak explosion, which jolted his family and him out of sleep early this morning.

Around 5.30 am, Banwari Lal, a local businessman dealing in dry fruits, and his family woke up to a huge explosion, which rocked their house. The shocked family did not realise what hit them. According to geochemists, the explosion was caused by underground gas.

Geochemist Nitish Priyadarshi, who visited the house, said: “Ranchi will witness many more such blasts. Over the past two to three years, gases have been accumulating underground. Ranchi is becoming prone to underground gases like radon, methane, carbon monoxide, nitrogen-dioxide and hydrocarbons. People constructing houses in the lowlying areas are the most vulnerable.”

Rohit Khenwal, a family member, said, “Early in the morning, we heard an explosion that destroyed everything. The reason has not been ascertained. We do not know how it happened.”

A couple of months ago, a similar explosion had taken place in the Metro Gali area of the capital. The explosion caused heavy losses to the family. Lalpur police officials had no clue to the reason behind the incident.

“This is a strange incident. We have seen the entire house but have not come to any conclusion. It was a powerful explosion but we are yet to find the results,” a police official said.

Though no one was injured in the incident as all the family members were upstairs, the ground floor was ravaged. The main door was blown off with its latches. The same could be said about the other doors and windows. All the windowpanes were smashed and one of the collapsible iron gates was twisted.

Priyadarshi offers a reason for the explosion. “Before this house was constructed, there was a motor garage on the plot. The grease and the engine oil seeped underground and formed gases. The house was constructed and these gases did not have a place to escape”, Priyadarshi said.

“The gases entered the house through the cracks in the doors and the cement. There is no ventilation on the ground floor, resulting in the collection of these gases, a continuous process. This has resulted in the explosion,” said Priyadarshi.

The geochemist said many houses in the lowlying areas are developing cracks.

H.K. Doshi, another geologist agreed with Priyadarshi. “The city has become prone to these gaseous eruptions. There are many buildings in the Ashoknagar area which have developed cracks.”