Videos show locals wading into flooded river to grab drifting LPG cylinders

Videos showing people wading into the flooded Patalganga River in Maharashtra to retrieve drifting LPG cylinders have gone viral, after floodwaters swept around 3,000 cylinders out of a Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) bottling plant near Panvel in Raigad district.

Officials said heavy monsoon rain caused flooding at the plant, and the force of the water washed the cylinders, some filled with gas and others empty, into the river. As they floated downstream, many people gathered along the banks, with some entering the water despite the fast current in an attempt to pull cylinders out.

The Raigad district administration has strongly advised against this, saying anyone who finds a cylinder should not keep it or attempt to use it, and should hand it over to HPCL, an authorised distributor, or local Tehsildar and Sub-Divisional Officer offices in Khalapur or Pen.

District Collector Kishan Jawale appealed to residents to stay away from any cylinders found in the river or washed ashore, while the Raigad District Information Office issued a similar alert on X.