Overview
- An oxygen cylinder exploded inside the second-floor operating theatre at Chigateri District Hospital, gutting the surgical unit and causing severe structural damage.
- Staff had noticed a technical glitch in a 12‑kg oxygen cylinder and evacuated the theatre before the blast, so no patients or staff were injured.
- Fire and Emergency Services extinguished heavy smoke and flames, but machines and materials in the adjacent anaesthesia department were damaged and equipment worth about ₹75 lakh was destroyed.
- Health Minister U. T. Khader ordered two inquiries—a high-level state committee and a district probe—plus an audit of electrical systems across state hospitals with reports due in 15 days.
- Local leaders have directed quick restoration of services and alternative arrangements for patients, and the probes could lead to safety fixes or administrative action depending on findings.