Explosion in GNDU chemistry lab, student critically injured

Amritsar, August 27

A female student of the Department of Chemistry, Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), suffered injuries following a sudden explosion during a practical in the laboratory of the department.

Muskaan, a student of MSc Chemistry final year, was working in the laboratory along with a few other students. They were conducting practical in preparing fuel from Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) i.e. waste material. It was during the practical that an explosion occurred and Muskaan, being in close proximity of the explosion area, sustained grievous injuries on her eyes and face.

Apart from Muskaan, another female student has sustained a temporary loss of hearing due to the sound of the explosion.

“Muskaan was immediately rushed for treatment at a local private hospital and has partially been treated with large pieces of glass been removed from her face and near the eye. She has been today shifted to PGI, for further surgery that is required to remove small splinters of glass from her eye,” said Prof Sukhpreet Singh, Head of Department of Chemistry. The university will be bearing the cost of her treatment and her parents have also arrived from Abohar.

The HoD said the incident was not an isolated one as earlier also, minor lab mishaps have occurred while working on certain experiments. “We work with organic chemicals during experiments in the lab and are prone to minor mishaps. But it is unfortunate that a student has been injured in a lab mishap this time,” he said.

Muskaan’s classmates said she was closest to the site of explosion at the time of the blast due to which she was seriously injured. The impact of explosion was such that the laboratory equipment and concrete shelves too have been destroyed. While most of the students of the department had called it a day as classes were over, the group including Muskaan had returned to the laboratory to work on their practical.

Meanwhile, as per sources, Vice-Chancellor Dr Jaspal Sandhu has ordered to constitute an enquiry committee to look into the matter.

Mishap during practical

Muskaan, a student of MSc Chemistry final year, was working in the laboratory along with few other students. They were conducting practical in preparing fuel from Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) i.e. waste material. It was during the practical that an explosion occurred and Muskaan, being in close proximity of the explosion area, sustained grievous injuries on her eyes and face.