PATNA: As many as six people, including a woman, were killed and two others were seriously wounded following serial explosions inside an illegal firecrackers unit in Bihar's Saran district on Sunday.
The injured have been rushed to a primary health centre at Khaira and later shifted to Sadar hospital at Chhapra for better treatment. The doctors attending to the injured described their condition as critical.
The eyewitnesses said that the fire broke out at around 11.45 am in the house of one Mohammad Reyazu Mian at Khodaibagh village, adjacent to a mosque. Soon the three-story building was razed to the ground due to a series of explosions.
Huge stock of explosives was stocked to make firecrackers in the building.
The locals said that the tremor of the explosion was felt within a radius of about 3 km. Half a dozen fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the frames.
The deceased were identified as Amina Khatun (55), her two sons—Mulazim (35) and Sabir Ali (22), Mulazim's daughter Yasmin (8) and son Shahzad (5). The identity of the sixth body is yet to be ascertained.
Saran Superintendent of Police Santosh Kumar said that an FSL team has been requisitioned from Muzaffarpur to collect evidence from the spot. “The cause of the explosion will be ascertained after the receipt of the FSL report,” he revealed.
“Prima facie it appeared that the explosion took place during the making of firecrackers inside the building. The huge stock of explosive material used in making firecrackers came in contact with the fire, which led to the explosion,” another investigating officer said.
Saran Deputy Superintendent of Police Muneshwar Singh said that six bodies were exhumed from the debris of the building. “The death toll may rise as some people were believed to be under the debris,” he said.
He revealed that personnel of the bomb disposal squad have also arrived to the explosion site. “Further investigation is on,” the Dy.SP said.
The locals alleged that at least 12 illegal firecracker units were running in the area. The district officials said that licenses have not been issued to any person for making firecrackers.
According to the locals, two explosions had earlier taken place at Olhanpur under Khaira police station in the district in which one person lost his life.
Earlier, 16 people were killed in a similar incident in the Bhagalpur district.