Several injured in Bangalore explosion

Bangalore, April 17 (IANS) Several people were injured in a gas cylinder explosion in a car at a short distance from the BJP office here Wednesday. Many vehicles were damaged but the blast caused no damage to the party office, police said.

"It appears that a gas cylinder in a car parked in front of an apartment complex, about half a km from Bharatiya Janata Party office, exploded, gutting the vehicles and spreading fire to nearby vehicles," a police spokesperson told reporters.

Bangalore Police Commissioner Raghavendra Auradkar reached the site of the blast to assess the situation. He said the explosion took place around 10.20 a.m.

"Investigation is on to find out the cause. Preliminary report says it was a cylinder explosion. But there was a motorbike nearby. We are investigating," he said in brief interaction with the media persons at the explosion site.

The BJP office is in a crowded residential locality of Malleshwaram in north Bangalore, about eight km from city centre.

"People in the area say several people received minor injuries," the police spokesperson said.

Four fire tenders rushed to the spot and doused the fire, the spokesperson said.

A dog squad was also on the spot to look for clues.

Explosives experts were at the site to probe whether the blast was caused by a bomb, the spokesperson said.