11 killed in fireworks factory blast

A massive explosion in an illegal fireworks factory at Pingla in West Midnapore district claimed the lives of at least 11 people on late Wednesday night.

 As salvage operations began on Thursday morning, the police and fire fighting personnel recovered 11 charred bodies, along with seven injured, of whom around four suffered serious burn injuries.

“Eleven charred bodies have been recovered so far. Seven injured have been admitted to the hospital,” senior police officials from the district told reporters on Thursday afternoon.
The district’s Superintendent of Police, Bimal Ghosh said the police are looking into the reason behind the explosion.

“Probably something went wrong during manufacturing of crackers,” he said.The blast took place shortly before 10 pm on Wednesday night and the fire has been put out. All the victims were employees of the factory, most of them hail from Murshidabad district, a senior official said. Senior police officials and fire department personnel had a tough time identifying the bodies as these were badly brunt, including some that were so charred beyond recognition that even their gender could not be determined.

 All the bodies have been taken to the state-run Midnapore Medical College Hospital for post-mortem.While Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee ordered for a CID probe into the blast, senior police officials admitted that the factory was illegal.