14 killed in Bhagalpur cracker factory blast

BHAGALPUR: At least 14 people died and 16 others were injured in a powerful explosion at Kazwali Chak, in Tatarpur police station area of Bhagalpur town, late Thursday night. DIG (Bhagalpur) Sujit Kumar said a large amount of explosives stored in a house for the manufacture of illegal firecrackers caused the blast.
Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar summoned chief secretary Amir Subhani and DGP S K Singhal to his office and asked them to take action against the guilty after investigating the incident.The explosion was so powerful that the house in which the blast took place was reduced to rubble and three other adjacent pucca houses also crumbled to the ground. The sound of the explosion was heard up to 10 km from the spot. The blast sent splinters flying as far as half a km. People living in adjoining localities said the smell of burning gunpowder spread several kilometres.
People living in the neighbourhood alleged that the illegal activity had been on for long and that there had been explosions there in the past but the local administration remained a mute spectator. Power supply lines were snapped due to the blast’s intensity and the rubble was hampering rescue operations. An earthmover was used to clear the rubble.
DGP SK Singhal said the SHO in charge of Tatarpur police station, Sanjay Kumar Sudhanshu, has been suspended as the firecrackers were being manufactured without any licence. He said a huge quantity of ammonium nitrate and sulphur, used i the manufacture of firecrackers, besides wrappers and plastic, were found at the spot.
“One Lilawati Devi had sold the house to one Mohammed Azad and had been staying in a part of the building on rent. Azad basically deals in iron grilles but also manufactured firecrackers illegally. Their immediate neighbour, Mahendra Mandal, was also in the cracker manufacturing business. Mahendra’s brother Suresh Mandal was killed in a similar high-intensity explosion on October 24, 2002. Three more members of his family died in the incident. A case in this regard was lodged with Tatarpur police station,” the DGP said.
ADG (law & order) Sanjay Singh said prima facie the incident occurred due to illegal cracker manufacturing in the house. “A team from the forensic science laboratory (FSL) is probing the incident,” he said.
Bhagalpur SSP Babu Ram said most of the dead belonged to four families that used to live in the houses which collapsed in the blast. “Out of the four families, two were engaged in the illegal firecracker manufacturing business,” he said while confirming 14 deaths till Friday afternoon.
DM Subrat Kumar Sen said preliminary investigations confirmed that the house was used for illegal firecracker manufacturing. “Many of the residents wondered if there was an earthquake. The tremors due to the blast were felt far and wide,” said Priti Shekhar, former deputy mayor of Bhagalpur.
Nirmal Kumar, an autorickshaw driver, said it was really harrowing to hear the rumbling sound of the explosion, which continued for more than a minute. “After finishing my dinner, I had just gone to sleep inside my autorickshaw, which I park inside my house. Suddenly, I heard a bang followed by darkness all around. Before I could comprehend anything, a large chunk of my house roof caved in and a part of it hit my head. I was fortunate enough that it fell on the roof of the auto-rickshaw before hitting me,” he said.
Mohammed Yusuf, who also lives in the neighbourhood, said while his house suffered extensive damage, electrical and electronic gadgets like fridges, TVs and the washing machine were also damaged. The rubble of the damaged house lay strewn all around. “I had never heard such a loud explosion,” he said, adding that there was panic and chaos for hours during the night owing to the heavy destruction.
Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Hospital (JLNMCH) superintendent Asim Kumar Sen said 16 injured had been admitted to the hospital for treatment till Friday morning. “Most of the injured are stable, but one Rahul sustained a serious head injury,” he said.
At least three explosions took place in Nathnagar area of Bhagalpur in December last year, including that near Nathnagar railway station in which a ragpicker died, and another at Makhdumpur Shah Ghat in which a minor boy was killed.
PM condoles deaths, CM summons chief secy, DGP
PM Narendra Modi condoled the deaths in the Bhagalpur blast and talked to CM Nitish Kumar.
PM Modi said news of people losing their lives in an explosion is painful and that he wishes the injured a speedy recovery. “The administration is engaged in relief and rescue operations and all possible help is being extended to the victims,” the PM’s message read.