3,000 LPG cylinders washed into Patalganga river, Raigad administration issues warning

Raigad: Around 3,000 LPG cylinders, including both filled and empty ones, were washed into the Patalganga River after floodwaters entered the HPCL Patalganga LPG Bottling Plant in Maharashtra's Raigad district, prompting the administration to issue a public safety advisory. The incident occurred at the HPCL bottling plant in the Additional MIDC area at Chavane in Panvel taluka after heavy rain caused the Patalganga River to overflow, allowing floodwaters to breach the facility and sweep the cylinders downstream. Videos from the area showed hundreds of LPG cylinders floating in the swollen river. रायगड जिल्ह्यात मुसळधार पावसामुळे पाताळगंगा नदीला आलेल्या प्रचंड पुरात शेकडो एलपीजी गॅस सिलिंडर गेले वाहून ! pic.twitter.com/U90lHp1HP8 — निसर्गराजा (@shetakriraja288) July 8, 2026 Raigad District Collector Kishan Jawale urged residents not to touch, collect or attempt to use any cylinder found in or near the river. "There is no guarantee whether the cylinders carried away by the river contain gas or are in a safe condition. Picking them up out of curiosity or for personal use, opening them, or taking them home could be extremely dangerous. Citizens should not put themselves at risk," he said. The administration has appealed to people to immediately inform the authorities if they spot any washed-away cylinders. Residents have also been asked to hand over recovered cylinders to HPCL, authorised LPG distributors or designated government offices instead of keeping them. Officials said efforts are underway to trace and recover the cylinders. Around 1,000 cylinders have been retrieved so far, while search operations are continuing to locate the remaining ones. The incident comes amid relentless monsoon rain across Maharashtra, which has triggered flooding and waterlogging in several districts. Authorities said the advisory was issued as a precaution, warning that mishandling any recovered cylinder could pose a serious risk if it still contains LPG or has been damaged by the floodwaters.