Four dead, four injured in massive gas explosion at Kurunegala fuel station

A tragic gas explosion at a fuel station in the Wehera area of Kurunegala claimed the lives of four individuals, including the station manager, and left four others injured late last night (April 7), police said.

The incident occurred around 11:00 p.m. when a lorry arrived at the station to refill LP gas.

During the refilling process, one of two large gas storage tanks, each holding approximately 6,000 litres, exploded, triggering a massive fire that quickly engulfed the area.

Among the deceased were the station manager and three others who were present at the site at the time of the explosion. The injured were rushed to the Kurunegala Teaching Hospital for treatment.

Emergency teams from the Kurunegala Municipal Council’s fire brigade responded swiftly and managed to bring the fire under control.

Authorities confirmed that the second 6,000-litre gas tank, which did not explode, was successfully sealed off by municipal workers after significant effort, preventing further devastation.

Kurunegala Police have launched an investigation into the incident to determine the exact cause of the explosion.