Five killed, 100 injured in Madhya Pradesh factory blasts

Calcutta News.Net
Sunday 5th July, 2009 (IANS)

At least five people were feared dead and over 100 injured late Sunday when multiple blasts triggered a massive fire in two explosive factories in an industrial area of this Madhya Pradesh district, police and eyewitnesses said.

The death toll may mount as the two factories in the Baliyari Industrial Area of Singrauli were reduced to rubble, according to police.

The first explosion occurred in Ideal Explosives Industries, a detonators manufacturing unit for coal mines. The blast triggered a deafening explosion in the neighbouring unit of Rajasthan Explosives Private Ltd.

The witnesses said the blast sound could be heard many kilometres away from the site.

Officials and the witnesses said at least 15 factories in the vicinity were affected.

The entire industrial area plunged into darkness as power supply was snapped.

The injured were being rushed to hospitals and rescue and relief works were on. Efforts were on to restore the power supply as it was becoming difficult to carry out relief operations in an almost zero visibility, the officials said.

Singrauli's minister-in-charge Rajendra Shukla confirmed the tragedy but refused to give the casualty figures.

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