Gurdaspur: Blast at firecracker factory in Batala, 19 dead, many injured


Devdiscourse News Desk | Chandigarh | Updated: 04-09-2019 19:50 IST | Created: 04-09-2019 16:15 IST
Gurdaspur: Blast at firecracker factory in Batala, 19 dead, many injured
Image Credit: ANI
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A blast has occured at a firecracker factory in Batala city of Gurdaspur district of Punjab on Wednesday. Gurdaspur Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Deepak Bhatia said 19 people have died and 27 people have been injured in the incident.

The entire building collapsed and the roofs of nearby structures were also blown away due to the blast. Following the collapse of the buildings, several people are also reported to have been trapped under the rubble.

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident. He has announced an ex-gratia grant of Rs. 2 lakhs for the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the seven severely injured, who were referred to Amritsar Medical College. He has also announced Rs. 25,000 for those with minor injuries.

The incident took place around 4 pm at the factory located in a residential area. There was a huge rush in the city as it is the evening of Guru Nanak Dev’s marriage anniversary.

The firecrackers were supposed to be used on Guru Nanak Dev’s marriage anniversary celebrations tomorrow.

The ambulance and firefighters were rushed to the spot for carrying out the necessary operations to bring the situation under control.

Teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) were deployed for the rescue operation.

More than 100 policemen also rushed to the spot.

 

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