Five girls killed in Rajkot

The girls were making crackers in a small room of the Sri Ram Fireworks when the six kg or so of material with them exploded, ripping the roof and damaging the walls of the adjacent room. They must have died within seconds of the blast, villagers said. There was no work for the ambulances that arrived with the fire-brigade.

The unit had water nor extinguisher, and fire-fighting began only after Rajkot fire-brigade reached the spot. And the fire-brigade had learnt of the blast only when the police control room called up.

The charred bodies, darkened skeletons visible, have been brought to the Rajkot civil hospital for post mortem.

Police commissioner Sudhir Sinha said forensic experts from Junagadh would inspect the blast site. Experts from the department of explosives had also been called, he said.

They will help the police find out if the amount of explosive stored at the factory was in excess of specifications. Police are also trying to find if any supervisor was around when the blast took place or if the girls were on their own, which is against norms.

The factory owner, one Anilbhai, has been charged under section 304-A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for rash and negligent action leading to loss of lives. He also has a godown right across the road from the fireworks factory, where the blast occurred.

Police said his licence was likely to be suspended till investigations, being carried out by Rajkot Taluka police, are completed.