Bhubaneswar: A deer from Raj Bhavan park in Bhubaneswar died under impact of the powerful explosion that took place at a filling station in Bhubaneswar October 7, a source said Sunday.
The incident came to fore after a recent inspection at the deer park by a team from Nandankanan zoo.
According to a source, the explosion was so intense that several pieces of metal were blown away from the filling station and fell in Raj Bhavan premises. A huge piece of steel fell inside the deer park where around 500 deer have been kept. One of the metal pieces hit a deer and tore into it. The legs and head of the animal were found scattered inside the park.
According to a Raj Bhavan official, the deer ran helter-skelter after the explosion. They were so terrified that they did not drink water for more than two hours. The windowpanes of Raj Bhavan also got damaged under the impact of the explosion.
Animal lovers and experts have demanded shifting of the filling station from its present location to somewhere else amid the damage the blast has caused.
Notably, the explosion took place October 7 afternoon. As of Sunday, a person who suffered critical injuries in the explosion has died and another one is undergoing treatment. Another person, identified as Simanchal Parida, is still missing. Assuming him to be dead in the explosion, his family members at Gahangu village under Aska block in Ganjam district performed his last rites symbolically October 10.
PNN