Police cordons off Mulago roundabout over fears of gas cylinder explosion

The Police bomb squad has cordoned off Mulago roundabout over fears of a gas cylinder explosion at a nearby washing bay, the Nile Post has learnt.

According to deputy Kampala Metropolitan area police spokesperson, Luke Owoyesigyire, police was called by some of the employees over fears of an explosion of the gas cylinder at the washing bay that also houses a welding workshop.

“When police came in, they realized they could not handle the incident as the cylinder continued swelling,”Owoyesigyire said.

The police spokesperson said the bomb squad was later called in to help handle the situation but this too, could not help.

“The bomb realized they could not carry it away without exploding, prompting them to call in the fire brigade department. They thought they could use water to cool but this was not possible.”

Owoyesigyire said the bomb squad resolved to safely detonate the gas cylinder at the scene but noted that this proved difficult as some of the locals refused to leave the place.

“Police had to use tear gas to force them away from the scene so as to safely detonate it but the situation is being handled.”

Past incidents

There has been an increase in explosions from gas cylinders in various parts of the city that have killed a number of people, whereas others have been left injured.

In October, an explosion from a factory in Banda left one dead and six others injured.

In September, an item suspected to be a gas cylinder exploded killing one person instantly, whereas eight were left nursing injuries that included broken limbs after the incident.