Shivamogga blast: Five workers killed, probe on explosives underway

Five workers were killed in an explosion of dynamites and guillotine sticks late Thursday night kept in a truck parked in a stone crusher unit at Hunasodu village located 8 km from Shivamogga city.

Speaking to DH, Deputy Commissioner KB Shivakumar confirmed the number of deaths. Bodies were recovered and post mortem would be conducted in McGann hospital in Shivamogga.

He also said that a licence was given to prepare M sand and crushed stones to the unit but it is not immediately clear why huge quantum of explosives had been brought here. Police will conduct an investigation in this regard.

It is noteworthy that dynamites and guillotine sticks exploded in the stone crusher units area killing at least six workers from Bihar.

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According to the police's primary investigation, the incident took place around 10:25 pm and the truck's parts were blown away about 2 km from the site, turning the vehicle to ashes. The manufacturing unit is spread over more than 20 acres of land. This was the first such incident in the village, triggering fear among Hunasodu and the neighbouring villages.

Two bodies were recovered initially and they were taken to the hospital. The remaining three were recovered after bomb disposal squad, forensic experts from Bengaluru and Mangaluru visited the spot and certified that there were no live explosives in the area. ATM cards, Rs 50 notes and other documents of the workers were torn into pieces.

Speaking to DH, Eshwar Naik, whose house is situated fewer than 2 km away from the blast site in the village, said, "Five members of the family were on the terrace at night after having dinner. A loud noise was heard from the stone crusher unit region twice. First, there was a mild noise but the second was one was huge. We were shocked and could not understand what happened. After a few minutes, villagers came out of their homes and rushed towards the area. But the area was covered with dust and it was dark. We could not come to terms with the situation immediately."

Veeresh, a native of Hunasodu, said stone crusher units have been functioning in the area for the past several years and the activities will end after 6:00 pm.

Veeramma, resident of the village, saw a crack in her house walls due to the explosion. "I woke up and came out of the home after hearing the loud noise. It was a terrible experience for me."

Over 100 stone crusher units in the region

More than 100 stone crusher units and stone quarries operate in villages of Hunasodu, Kalluganguru, Gejjenahalli and Devakyathikoppa for the past several years. District administration issued a licence to the SS crusher unit where the blast occurred.

Three detained in blast case

Police took land owner Avinash Kulkarni, Narasimha and Sudhakar who were operating stone crusher unit to custody for interrogation.

State Biodiversity Board Chairman Ananth Hegde Ashisara demanded the government conduct a high-level probe into illegal mining in the licenced stone crusher units in Shivamogga district. Referring to mild tremors felt in parts of Shivamogga, Uttara Kannada and Chikkamagaluru districts at the same time, he said it appears to be co-incidence and the blast has no link with the mild tremors. However, experts have to certify this at the earliest.

Mines & Geology Minister Murugesh R Nirani, Rural Development & Panchayat Raj Minister K S Eshwarappa, MP B Y Raghavendra, MLC Ayanur Manjunath, MLA K B Ashok Naik and former MLAs K B Prasanna Kumar, H C Chandrashekharappa visited the spot.

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Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa expressed grief over the loss of lives in the blast at the stone crusher facility at Hunasodu in Shivamogga, his home district.
A high-level investigation into the accident has been ordered and stringent action would be taken against the guilty, he said. He said he had been in contact with senior officials since last night and dispatched teams to carry out rescue operations.