Kalyani, Feb. 23: A 22-year-old woman was killed, and three others critically injured, when a hydrogen gas cylinder exploded at a crowded rural fair in the Shaguna-Ghoragacha area of Nadia’s Kalyani late Saturday night.
The blast, occurring around 12:30 am, instantly killed Muskan Mondal, a homemaker purchasing a balloon for her child. The balloon vendor and two bystanders sustained severe injuries.
Mondal was declared dead at JNM Hospital, while two of the injured were later transferred to AIIMS Kalyani and SSKM Hospital for specialized care.
The incident has ignited concerns over administrative negligence in regulating hazardous activities at public gatherings. Despite a similar fatal explosion involving hydrogen balloons in Santipur in 2022, authorities have failed to enforce a ban on their use in crowded areas.
Police have registered an unnatural death case, but denied negligence, citing the difficulty of monitoring vendors in remote locations. However, fire officials emphasized that inflating balloons with hydrogen requires fire safety clearance, which is routinely denied due to the inherent explosion risk. “Local police must actively prevent such installations,” a fire official stated.
A chemistry professor from a Nadia college explained that hydrogen, stored under high pressure, can explode upon contact with even a small flame. Fire officials also noted that while international safety standards prohibit hydrogen for balloons, India lacks a formal ban, leading vendors to use dangerous chemical reactions instead of safer, but more expensive, helium.
An anonymous balloon vendor revealed the common practice of using caustic soda and aluminum powder to generate hydrogen within the cylinder. “Even when not in use, the hydrogen continues to build up, increasing pressure and temperature. If not regularly released, it can lead to a catastrophic explosion,” he said. The vendor also insinuated that a lack of police enforcement encourages vendor’s to take risks with human lives for financial gain.