An explosion in an illegal firecracker manufacturing unit, set up in a housing colony, left at least 25 people dead and 16 injured late on Wednesday night in Deeg in Bharatpur, Rajasthan. Twelve children and five women were among the dead. The blast also brought down six houses in the area. While district officials are yet to ascertain the reason for the explosion, the Bharatpur police have arrested 10 people for running firecracker units without a licence in the area and a probe has been ordered. “The blast occurred in the house of one Badla Jadhav, who was also killed in the mishap,” Bharatpur Superintendent of Police Rohit Mahajan said. He added that all residents in the blast radius were accounted for.“Preliminary investigations show an accidental spark ignited the explosives, resulting in a blast, after which a cooking gas cylinder also exploded. At least six families were caught in the blast radius,” Bharatpur Divisional Commissioner Rajendra Bhanawat said. The state Government has sought the permission of the Election Commission to give relatives of the victims Rs 1 lakh compensation, Rs 25,000 to those seriously injured and Rs 5,000 to those who suffered minor injuries. Several families in the region are traditional firecracker makers, and sources said work is on round the clock to meet the demand for Diwali next week. The children killed in the blasts were also involved in making firecrackers. “There were large quantities of sulphur, potassium chloride and other chemicals at the site. These chemicals are used to make firecrackers,” Superintendent Mahajan said. The police are sifting through the debris to ensure that there are no explosives left over which can cause untoward incidents.The Bharatpur police have registered six cases under the Explosives Act against eight persons, while one tonne of explosives has been seized. “All the arrested were involved in illegally manufacturing firecrackers but investigations will reveal more information,” Mahajan said.Home Minister Gulabchand Kataria accepted that the firecracker unit where the blast took place was illegal and added that directives had been passed to the district administration to clamp down on the illegal industry.
