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Two killed, two missing in Saharanpur firecracker factory blast
Officials suspect the explosion may have been caused by negligence, but said it would be premature to draw conclusions before the inquiry is complete.
Fire service personnel and forensic experts have collected evidence from the site as police work to determine what triggered the blast. The blast factor premises have been sealed. (Representative image)
A powerful explosion took place at a fireworks factory in the Gangoh area of Saharanpur district on Friday afternoon, leaving two migrant workers dead and two others missing.
The blast occurred at a factory, where 23 labourers from Madhya Pradesh had been employed, police said.
The deceased were identified as Deepraj Devde, 23, and Sandeep, 25, both from Madhya Pradesh. Search operations continued late into the day for Akash Rawat, 22, and Rahul alias Lalu, 24, who remained unaccounted for after the explosion.
Officials suspect the explosion may have been caused by negligence, but said it would be premature to draw conclusions before the inquiry is complete.
Indresh Kumar, Station House Officer of Gangoh police station, said the factory, located on the outskirts of the village, is owned by Hasan, a resident of Ghaziabad and operating with a valid licence. He added that the blast occurred while fireworks were being manufactured.
Fire service personnel and forensic experts have collected evidence from the site as police work to determine what triggered the blast. The blast factor premises have been sealed.
According to police, they received information about the explosion at the fireworks factory in Kunda Basi village under Gangoh police station on Friday afternoon.
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Police and fire service teams rushed to the scene and launched a rescue operation that continued for nearly two hours. Senior civil and police officials reached the site to oversee the operation. The bodies of the two workers were sent for post-mortem examination, the officials said.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
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