A 55-year-old man and his daughter who suffered severed burns after an electric transformer exploded in Bengaluru have succumbed to their injuries, authorities said on Thursday, March 24. The 19-year-old Chaitanya who was battling for life after suffering severe burns died at 2 am on Thursday, while her father Shivaraj died on Wednesday, just hours after the incident occurred close to the Manganahalli bridge near NICE Road in Jnanabharathi limits of South Bengaluru. The victims were residents of Manganahalli. 

They were both admitted to the Victoria hospital following the accident which took place when the father-daughter duo were returning home on a bike after booking a convention centre for Chaitanya's engagement ceremony. Shivaraj had slowed down the bike to cross a road bump when the transformer installed by the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) exploded, the police said.

After the blast, the victims were covered in oil from the transformer which led to their fatal burn injuries. The impact of the blast was such that the bike was also burnt. Jnanabarathi police stated that Chaitanya died around 2.15 am as she did not respond to the treatment. She had suffered 50 per cent burn injuries.

A police official said that the blast occurred at 3 pm when the duo came close to the transformer. The official added that Shivaraj had slowed down the vehicle due to the bad condition of the road and if he had driven past the transformer, they could have escaped without suffering injuries. 

A Fire and Emergency Services official said a water tanker from the Nagarbhavi fire station was dispatched to the spot and it extinguished the fire on the transformer and the bike. 

Following orders by the Minister for Cooperation and local MLA S T Somashekar, Jnanabharthi police have lodged an FIR against the Executive Engineer and other officers of Bescom for criminal negligence.

Local residents claimed that they had complained about the leakage of oil from the transformer to Bescom.