Belthangady: Helium gas explosion guts craft store, two workers escape unhurt
Belthangady: A shop in Belthangady town was completely gutted in a fire accident suspected to have been triggered by a helium gas leak on Saturday morning.
The incident occurred around 7:30 am on February 14 at KAF Creative Art & Craft Store, owned by Muhammad Samil, located on the first floor of Heraje Complex in the Santekatte area.
According to reports, a helium gas leak occurred while balloons were being filled for an event. The leak allegedly led to an explosion, which sparked a fire that quickly spread across the shop.
Two workers were present inside the store at the time of the incident. They immediately ran out of the premises and escaped without injuries.
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On receiving information, fire brigade rushed to the spot and launched an operation to douse the flames with the help of local residents. The fire also caused damage to a few nearby shops. However, it is learnt that no major disaster occurred due to the gas leak.
Hundreds of people gathered near the spot to witness the incident, leading to traffic disruption for some time. Belthangady police and traffic police reached the location and brought the situation under control, ensuring smooth movement of vehicles.
Meanwhile, a shopkeeper who was watching the fire reportedly fainted and was shifted to a hospital by locals for treatment.
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If not in politics, would have probably done entrepreneurship in aerospace: Rahul Gandhi
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said that if he was not in politics, he would probably be doing some entrepreneurship in the aerospace world.
Rahul was responding to a query during a dialogue with the Information Technology (IT) Fraternity at Technopark here.
He said he has been defined as a politician by many, but he actually does a lot of other things.
Rahul, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, said he was of the view that calling someone a politician, technocrat, techie or engineer were "constricting definitions".
"If I was not working for a political organisation, I would probably be doing some entrepreneurship, probably in the aerospace world. I am a pilot, so was my father and also my uncle. So, we have that little strain," he said.
"We should be curious about everything. You should have an open mind to everything and that is when you start to connect the dots," the LoP, who is on a two-day visit to Kerala, added.
VIDEO | Trivandrum, Kerala: During interaction with IT professionals, Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) says, "If not in politics would have done entrepreneurship in aerospace, I am a pilot, so was my father."
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) March 7, 2026
(Full video available on… pic.twitter.com/WVYMpGkQmi
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