Mumbai: Around 3,000 liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders were swept away by floodwaters after a retaining wall at the HPCL Patalganga LPG Bottling Plant in Maharashtra's Raigad district collapsed following torrential rainfall.

Video footage circulating on social media showed hundreds of the gas canisters floating down the swollen Patalganga River, drawing large crowds of spectators who gathered to film the unusual scene from a nearby bridge.

Officials stated that relentless downpours caused the facility's boundary wall to yield, allowing floodwaters to inundate the plant. The powerful current subsequently carried away thousands of the LPG cylinders, washing them into the Patalganga River and Kharpada Creek.

The district administration warned that some of the drifting canisters may still contain gas, prompting authorities to issue a public safety notice as onlookers continued to record the scene from local vantage points.

Raigad Collector Kishan Javle urged residents to avoid touching, gathering, or attempting to use any cylinders found floating in the water or washed up along the banks. He appealed to the public to notify authorities immediately or deliver the items to designated collection centres.

Members of the public can return recovered cylinders directly to the HPCL plant, local HPCL distributors, the Tehsildar Office in Khalapur, any respective local Tehsildar Office, or the office of the Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO).

The administration has strictly advised against keeping the cylinders inside homes or handling them without necessary safety precautions.

"There is no guarantee whether the cylinders washed into the river contain gas or whether they are in a safe condition. Picking them up, opening them, or taking them home out of curiosity or for use could be extremely dangerous," the collector said.

Severe rainfall has continued to lash multiple regions of Maharashtra over the past week, resulting in widespread flooding, waterlogging, and bursting riverbanks. Raigad remains one of the hardest-hit areas, with severe inundation disrupting daily life and keeping emergency services on high alert.

IANS