Laundry worker at Leela Palace dies in boiler blast
NEW DELHI: A 42-year-old man working in the laundry section of The Leela Palace was killed in a boiler blast at the hotel in New Delhi’s Chanakyapuri on Saturday, police said.
The impact of the blast was such that the roof of the laundry section was severely damaged and items were strewn all around, said an investigator who visited the accident spot.
Romil Baaniya, deputy commissioner of police (south), said initially, a case of causing grievous hurt by act of endangering life was registered at Sarojini Nagar police station.
“The victim succumbed to injuries during treatment because of which we also added the Indian Penal Code section pertaining to causing death by negligence,” said Baaniya.
The officer said responsibility for the death would be fixed after it is determined whether the accident was caused by a malfunction in the boiler or by negligence of the persons responsible for maintenance of the laundry section.
“Victim Ashok Yadav was tasked with running the laundry section at the hotel. We have written to the electrical and mechanical departments of the Delhi government to inspect whether there was a malfunction in the boiler valve or another part,” said the DCP. No arrest was made until Monday.
A statement issued by the hotel on Monday said the authorities were cooperating with the officials. “Workplace safety for our team is the priority in everything that we do. All heavy equipment and machinery are maintained at the highest standards...,” read the statement issued by the hotel.
Police said that since no eyewitnesses have come forward yet, they have assumed that Yadav was working alone in the laundry at the time of the accident.
“Yadav was rushed to a hospital in Chanakyapuri. It was the hospital that informed us of the accident. Yadav was critical since beginning and couldn’t speak to us. He died during treatment,” said the DCP.
The hotel’s spokesperson did not respond to Hindustan Times’s specific questions about the circumstances of the accident.