Rescue Operation resume on Monday morning
Jamshedpur, Sep 25: At least ten persons were killed while several dozens were critically burnt in a blaze caused by a blast in an illegal fire cracker factory in Kumardubi village under Barsole police station area at Baharagora on Sunday. Many people are suspected to have been trapped in the buildings which were on fire till late night, police said.
According to the police, rescue operations resumed on Monday morning and several bodies were recovered.
The injured were taken to Tata Main Hospital, MGM Hospital and Bramhananda Narayana Hridyalaya at Tamulia. The condition of several victims was reportedly very critical.
Sources said the fire broke out in a three-storied house where illegal fire crackers were kept in the said village. The blast was so powerful that the fire resulting from it spread to several other adjoining houses and buildings in no time. Major portion of the building where the blast occurred was demolished in the mishap.
The fire caused a wall of the building to collapse and some people are feared trapped under it, the officer-in-charge of Barsole police station said.
The fire, which caught at around 4 pm, caused a LPG cylinder stored in the three-storied house to burst and the flames have spread to the adjacent houses, the police said.
East Singhbhum Deputy Commissioner Amit Kumar said, �We are trying to rescue those trapped in the fire area. It is still not clear as to how many people have been killed, injured or trapped in the affected area. Fire cracker blasts are still taking place but the fire has been limited.�
“Two fire engines are at the spot, and two others have been rushed from Jamshedpur and one from Ghatsila,” Kumar said.
Jamshedpur MP Bidyut Baran Mahato, Ghatsila sub-divisional police officer Rajendra Dubey and other administrative officials rushed to Baharagora to the rescue of the victims. The MP asked the DC and SSP Anoop T Mathew to ensure speedy rescue operation and best treatment for the injured persons.
Police sources said that a huge amount of explosive powder was stocked at the three-storey building, where the blast followed after it caught fire following a short circuit. The blast caused a larger fire which soon also engulfed other houses around.
The injured have been admitted in local hospitals and some have been sent to neighbouring West Bengal. Senior police officials have rushed to the spot.
Meanwhile, the district administration officials said a probe would be set up to find out as to how was the illegal fire cracker factory running in the village for so many days. The probe would start once the victims are rescued and rehabilitated, they said.