Chandigarh, Jan 13 A 55-year-old man died after the battery of his electric scooter exploded while it was being charged at his residence in Narnaul, Haryana, officials said on Tuesday.
The explosion, which took place on Monday night, triggered a massive fire that gutted a large portion of his house and destroyed most of his belongings.
The deceased has been identified as Shiv Kumar, a resident of Barkoda village who had been living in a self-constructed house in Ramnagar Colony, Narnaul.
He worked as a labourer and belonged to the Bawaria community. He is survived by two daughters and a son, all of whom are married. One of his daughters is employed in a Group D government post.
According to police and local residents, Shiv Kumar was sleeping alone in one room while his electric scooter was charging inside the house. Other family members were sleeping in a different room. At around 9.30 p.m., the scooter’s battery exploded with a loud bang, causing a fire which rapidly spread through the house.
Neighbours, alerted by the explosion, rushed to the spot and informed the police, fire department and ambulance services. Firefighters reached the spot and brought the blaze under control after nearly 30 minutes.
Shiv Kumar was rescued from the room in a severely injured condition and taken to the civil hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
The fire caused extensive damage to the house, destroying furniture, doors, windows, beds, sofas and other household items.
Preliminary information suggests that the electric scooter, purchased about a year ago from a showroom in Naseebpur, was a Toxmo Rhino Plus model. The low-speed scooter, which does not require registration with the RTA or a driving licence, has a maximum speed of 25 km per hour. The vehicle was red in colour and was regularly charged at night.
Police have not yet ascertained the cause of the explosion but have launched a probe into the matter.
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