Watch | The moment when an explosion rocked Bengaluru’s renowned Rameshwaram Cafe

Ruling out a gas leak as the cause, CM Siddaramaiah said the CCTV footage has revealed that a “man was seen keeping a bag in the cafe.”

A bomb disposal squad and forensic teams are at the spot to ascertain the actual cause of the blast. (Express photo by Jithendra M)

Customers and staff were seen scrambling for shelter as an explosion rocked The Rameshwaram Cafe in Bengaluru’s Whitefield area leaving at least nine people injured on Friday.

The explosion at the bustling cafe, located in east Bengaluru, occurred around 1 pm during the busy lunch hour when crowds from nearby offices generally line up.

Videos showed a blaze erupting and smoke engulfing the place within seconds after the blast. A woman, who sustained over 40 per cent burn injuries, was seen lying on one side of the blast site.

#Karnataka #Bengaluru #RameshwaramCafe #BengaluruBlast #RameshwaramCafeBlast

Divya Raghavendra Rao, founder and managing director of Rameshwaram Cafe says we have given access to all our CCTV cameras to the police. pic.twitter.com/Vn4l7HZ972

— Express Bengaluru (@IEBengaluru) March 1, 2024

In the aftermath of the blast, some of the people inside the cafe were also seen walking around in confusion while making phone calls.

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#Karnataka #BengaluruBlast #RameshwaramCafe #RameshwaramCafeBlast #Bengaluru

A total of nine persons were injured in the incident but one woman sustained serious injuries. The police are now looking for the man who left behind the bag in the restaurant. pic.twitter.com/Qq0A0Jeo92

— Express Bengaluru (@IEBengaluru) March 1, 2024

Those injured have been shifted to different hospitals for treatment. Among them were two staff and seven customers, officials said. A bomb disposal squad and forensic teams are at the spot to ascertain the actual cause of the blast.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the CCTV footage has revealed that a “man was seen keeping a bag in the cafe.” “It is not a high-intensity blast but an improvised one,” he added, while speaking to the reporters at the site.

Briefing on the incident, TN Shivashankar, Director of Karnataka State Fire and Emergency Services department told PTI: “At 1.08 pm today, the fire department received a call about LPG leakage fire in the cafe. When our officers and teams reached the spot, there was no fire or flame. A bag which was lying behind a woman who was sitting with six other customers at the eatery exploded. It is suspected that the explosion could have been caused due to some object in that bag.”

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