Kaushambi factory blast leaves seven dead, 11 injured
The blast took place at around 11am and resulted in a massive fire. The blast was heard 5 km away, body parts of the victims were found almost 300 metres away.
PRAYAGRAJ: At least seven people died, and 11 were injured in a blast at a firecracker factory near the Prayagraj-Kanpur highway in the Bharwari town area under Kokhraj police station of Kaushambi district on Sunday. Out of the injured, seven were critical, while the identities of two of the deceased are yet to be ascertained, police said.
A rescue operation was immediately launched even as large plumes of smoke started emerging from the factory. The injured were rushed to the district hospital while seven of the seriously injured were referred to SRN Hospital in Prayagraj where they are undergoing treatment, police officials said. The death toll might increase, they added.
The blast took place at around 11am and resulted in a massive fire. The blast was so loud that it was heard even 5-km away and body parts of the victims were found almost 300 metres away later on.
Locals were the first to reach the site and start helping the injured. However, local police also reached the site promptly, but the fire tenders took much longer to arrive, leading to upset locals engaging in rock pelting on the police. After much effort, the police officials were able to pacify the agitated crowd and press the three fire tenders to douse the flames.
The deceased were identified as Shahid Ali (35), son of the factory owner Sharafat Ali, and workers Shiv Narayan (40), Rekha Devi (30), Mangla Prasad (32), Shivakant alias Ballu Patel (30), Ashok Kumar (42), and Rajendra alias Kallu Patel (32).
Sharafat Ali’s second son, Kausar Ali (32), is among the seriously injured undergoing treatment at SRN Hospital in Prayagraj. Other injured, include Naresh, Ashok Patel, Jaychandra alias Dinna, Nikhil, Raja, Gaya Prasad, Rambhavan, Mukesh, Munna, and Rakesh.”
“According to the information, there are seven casualties, and another seven people are injured. The injured have been sent to the hospital for treatment. The factory was located far from the residential area in Bharwari. A rescue operation was immediately launched with the support of locals. The factory had the license to manufacture and sell firecrackers,” SP Brijesh Srivastava said. Exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, he added.
As per the locals, there were 18 people working the factory at the time of the blast and some workers, including Heera Lal and Sone Lal, are yet to be traced.
ADG Bhanu Bahaskar, IG Prem Gautam and SP Kaushambi Brijesj Kumar Srivastava reached the spot and oversaw the relief and rescue efforts. ADG has ordered a high-level probe into the incident.