Chhattisgarh: Locals claim kin missing in explosives factory blast, stage protest

At least one person was killed and six others injured in a blast at an explosives manufacturing factory in Chhattisgarh’s Bemetara district on Saturday

Raipur: A tense situation prevailed on Sunday near the Pirda explosives manufacturing factory blast site in Chhattisgarh’s Bemetara after residents of Pirda, Borsi, and other neighbouring villages staged a protest claiming their relatives had gone missing following the blast that took place on Saturday. 

The explosion took place in the unit located near Pirda village in Chhattisgarh’s Bemetara district on Saturday (Twitter Photo)

The people set up a tent in front of the factory and staged a sit-in protest as they obstructed the fire brigade, earth movers and ambulances engaged in the rescue exercise from entering the factory premises. 

A large number of police personnel were deployed at the blast site to ensure that things remained calm in the area.

Bemetara superintendent of police (SP) Ramkrishna Sahu said that some workers of the factory have been reported missing and are feared trapped under the debris. The exact number of missing people could not be ascertained until the debris is cleared, he added.

“We have been trying to pacify the protesters,” he said.

Earlier on Saturday, a major blast took place in an explosive factory located near Pirda village in Berla block in which at least one person was killed and half a dozen sustained injuries.

A few eyewitnesses claimed that many people were inside the explosive manufacturing unit which left a 30-foot-deep crater at the incident site.

According to the State Disaster Response Force, a two-storied building collapsed due to the blast and there may be ‘some people’ who got ‘trapped under the debris’.

The Chhattisgarh government has ordered a magisterial enquiry into the incident and announced to provide financial assistance of Rs. 5 lakh to the kin of the deceased and Rs.50,000 to those injured in the incident.