18 Indians killed in factory fire in Sudan

At least 18 citizens of India were killed and seven others were injured in an explosion in a ceramic factory in Sudan.

The Embassy of India in Khartoum, the capital of the North-Eastern African nation, stated that the latest information received by it indicated that the explosion had taken place at the ceramic factory when a tanker full of Liquified Petroleum Gas had blown off on Tuesday. It also stated that about 50 Indian citizens had been working in the factory.

“Have just received the tragic news of a major blast in a ceramic factory “Saloomi” in the Bahri area of the capital Khartoum in Sudan. Deeply grieved to learn that some Indian workers have lost their lives while some others have been seriously injured,” External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar posted on Twitter.

Altogether 23 people were killed and over 100 were injured in the explosion.

The officials of the Embassy of India in Khartoum listed 16 Indian workers of the factory as “missing”. “Some of the missing may be in the list of the dead which we are still to receive as identification is not possible because of the bodies being burnt,” the embassy posted on its website. Of the seven Indians listed as injured by the embassy, three are in critical condition and undergoing treatment at the Intensive Care Unit of a local hospital in Khartoum.

The deceased and injured Indian identified so far mostly hail from Rajasthan, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, and Delhi.

“The embassy representative has rushed to the site,” External Affairs Minister tweeted. “Our prayers are with the workers and their families.”