Twenty-three people were killed and more than a dozen others injured, some of them seriously, when a powerful blast took place inside a three-storey firecracker factory in Batala town of Punjab on Wednesday afternoon.
Located on the Samadh road, the illegal factory was being run in a residential area.
Some factory workers are still believed to be trapped inside the building rubble. "The immediate priority before the district administration was to rescue the people and to provide medical aid to the people who have been injured" Deputy Commissioner, Gurdaspur Vipul Ujjawal said. According to eyewitnesses, the blast took place around 3:30 and people came out of their homes when they heard a loud noise.
HERE IS ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE BATALA FACTORY BLAST
The blast was so powerful that it also damaged four nearby buildings which include a Gurudwara, a computer centre and a car garage. The explosion was heard kilometres away, local residents said.
A devotee who was having lunch inside the Gurdwara basement also died. The woman was killed and four others were injured when the blast caused bricks to fall on them.
The explosion damaged vehicles parked nearby. Eyewitness Sukhraj Singh said one car landed in a drain because of the impact.
The incident took place at a time when Batala town was about to celebrate Gurunanak Dev Ji's 'marriage ceremony' on Thursday. The town was decked up by the religious organisations on the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. One man, Sahib Singh had just left the factory after buying crackers. The blast left him unconscious.
Three JCBs were pressed into service besides the two fire tenders on spot as more and more crackers burst because of the flames.
Fire tenders and teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) were deployed for the rescue operation. NDRF teams have also been requisitioned from Himachal and Ludhiana.
The factory was also in news in 2017 when one person was killed in a blast. Some local residents claimed that several complaints have been filed with the district administration in the past, asking that the factory be closed down.
President Ram Nath Kovind expressed grief. "Saddened to learn about the loss of lives due to an explosion at a firecracker factory in Batala, Punjab," he tweeted. Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi too offered condolences. Gurdaspur MP Sunny Deol also said he was saddened by the tragedy.
Photo: PTI
CHIEF MINISTER ORDERS PROBE
Meanwhile, the Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh ordered a magisterial inquiry into the Batala firecracker factory blast. ADC (Batala) has been asked to conduct the inquiry into the tragic incident.
Captain Amarinder Singh also directed the Rural Development and Panchayats Minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa to immediately rush to the spot to oversee the relief and rescue operations.
"Deeply anguished to learn the loss of life due to the blast in the firecracker factory in Batala. Rescue operations are underway with the DC and the SSP heading relief efforts," the chief minister tweeted.
The Chief Minister has announced an ex-gratia grant of Rs 2 lakh for the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for those severely injured, who were referred to Amritsar Medical College. He has announced Rs 25,000 compensation for those with minor injuries.
Captain Amarinder also directed both the civil and police administration of Gurdaspur district to extend all possible help to the victims' families in this hour of grief.
He also directed the Deputy Commissioner, Gurdaspur, to provide the best possible treatment to the injured free of cost, besides asking SSP Batala to supervise the evacuation operations being carried out by the NDRF teams.
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/punjab-blast-powerful-explosion-rocks-firecracker-factory-in-batala-23-killed-top-points-1595623-2019-09-05
