Representative image showing a blast.
Credit: iStock Photo
Ahmedabad: Twenty workers were killed and five others injured in a massive fire caused by an explosion at a firecracker warehouse turned factory, said to be running illegally, in Deesa town of Banaskantha district in north Gujarat. Most of the workers were also residing in the factory with their families, who were trapped after the ceiling of the factory collapsed due to the explosion.
"20 persons died in the incident, and five others are injured after the slab of the building collapsed following a massive blast," Superintendent of Police Akshayraj Makwana said.
He added that several teams have been dispatched to Ahmedabad and Rajasthan to apprehend those responsible for the incident.
District Collector Mihir Patel, who rushed to the told, told reporters, “We received information about a large explosion in the industrial area of Deesa earlier this morning. The Fire Department rushed and controlled the fire. The explosion was so massive that the RCC slab of the factory collapsed. We are conducting a search operation to rescue anyone who might be trapped under the debris.”
Officials said that the incident occurred at around 9:45 AM in an industrial area near Deesa town. The factory owner has been identified as Khubchand Sindhi who runs the warehouse in the name of Dipak Traders. His son Dipak Sindhi was caught by a team of Banaskantha police in Sabarkantha late in the evening.
Police said that the majority of the workers were migrant workers from Madhya Pradesh. They said that they were finding it difficult to identify many of them were burnt beyond recognition.
Neha Panchal, deputy collector and sub-divisional magistrate, Deesa, who was one of the first officials to visit the spot, told reporters that the premises had license to store firecrackers and not manufacturing them.
"Prima facie, the premises was not only being used for storage but also manufacturing without any permission. It had storage license since 2021. Recently, it had sought renewal but before our inspection, this incident happened."Gujarat government spokesperson Rushikesh Patel said the local police didn't renew the license after finding that there was no safety measures in place. He said that during police verification, the warehouse had been found vacant.
CM announces relief
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel in a post on X expressed grief and announced a financial assistance of Rs 4 lakh to the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured persons. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav took to X to express grief over the death of workers hailing from MP.
The announcement of Rs4 lakh compensation didn't go down well among the victims' family.
Hareshbhai, who lost his 18 years son, said, "I am not accepting dead body of my son unless, collector or any senior officer gives us assurance that those responsible will be arrested. And, what kind of assistance the government is extending. I have lost my only son who was 18 years old. We are poor people but can give Rs4 lakh to the government to get my son back."
The opposition Congress while expressing grief over the deaths, it said that the state government is not doing anything despite repeated tragic events.
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