Pirda (Chhattisgarh), Chhattisgarh The situation remained tense near the Pirda Explosives Manufacturing Factory blast site on Sunday as villagers, especially those who claimed that their relatives were missing after the incident, protested.
A large number of police personnel were deployed around the factory premises near Pirda village in Bemetara district and officials were trying to pacify the villagers.
One person was killed and at least six others were injured in a blast at Special Blast Limited near Pirda village of Berla development block on Saturday, where rescue teams also found some body parts.
Government officials are yet to confirm the number of workers missing after the incident and said everything will become clear when the huge pile of debris is removed from the blast site.
Some eyewitnesses told local news channels that at least 100 people were working in the explosives manufacturing factory at the time of the blast.It was claimed that many people were missing and they were feared trapped under the debris.
The official had earlier said that the explosion had left a crater around 30 feet deep in the factory.
Rescue operations, including officials from the State Disaster Response Force, police and district administration, resumed on Sunday morning.
People from Borsi, Pirda and other nearby villages pitched tents in front of the factory and staged a protest.
They stopped the fire brigade, earth movers and ambulances engaged in rescue operations from entering the factory premises.Amid the protests, the administration allowed members of eight families, who claimed that their relatives working in the factory at the time of the blast, were missing, to enter the premises, an official here said.
There was a heated argument between the police and the protesters as the security personnel tried to remove the tent where the villagers were sitting in protest in front of the factory gate.
Bemetara Superintendent of Police Ramakrishna Sahu said that some factory workers are reported missing and are feared trapped under the debris after the blast, but we cannot give the number yet as the rescue operation is still going on.
“We are trying to pacify the protesters,” he said.
Sahu said four of the six injured people were discharged after treatment at a hospital in Raipur.Another official said the rescue operation was being carried out with caution as some gases were leaking from the debris and there was a danger of an explosion as explosive material was buried under the debris.
The state government has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident and action will be taken against those found guilty.
It said that the families of the deceased will receive financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh, while Rs 50,000 will be given to the injured, who will also be provided treatment by the government.
Ishwar Khare, in-charge of the 13-member SDRF team in neighboring Dur district, said on Saturday, "According to information, a two-storey building collapsed in the blast at an explosives manufacturing factory. Some people may be trapped beneath it."Debris and search continues."
The explosion left a 30-40 feet deep crater. Some body parts were found in the debris. He said that detailed information will be available after the entire debris is removed.
Rajkumar Yadav, a resident of Borsi village adjacent to the factory, said that his 20-year-old son, who worked in the unit, is missing after the explosion.
Shopkeepers in the area said the impact of the blast was felt within a radius of about four kilometres.
A large number of police personnel were deployed around the factory premises near Pirda village in Bemetara district and officials were trying to pacify the villagers.
One person was killed and at least six others were injured in a blast at Special Blast Limited near Pirda village of Berla development block on Saturday, where rescue teams also found some body parts.
Government officials are yet to confirm the number of workers missing after the incident and said everything will become clear when the huge pile of debris is removed from the blast site.
Some eyewitnesses told local news channels that at least 100 people were working in the explosives manufacturing factory at the time of the blast.It was claimed that many people were missing and they were feared trapped under the debris.
The official had earlier said that the explosion had left a crater around 30 feet deep in the factory.
Rescue operations, including officials from the State Disaster Response Force, police and district administration, resumed on Sunday morning.
People from Borsi, Pirda and other nearby villages pitched tents in front of the factory and staged a protest.
They stopped the fire brigade, earth movers and ambulances engaged in rescue operations from entering the factory premises.Amid the protests, the administration allowed members of eight families, who claimed that their relatives working in the factory at the time of the blast, were missing, to enter the premises, an official here said.
There was a heated argument between the police and the protesters as the security personnel tried to remove the tent where the villagers were sitting in protest in front of the factory gate.
Bemetara Superintendent of Police Ramakrishna Sahu said that some factory workers are reported missing and are feared trapped under the debris after the blast, but we cannot give the number yet as the rescue operation is still going on.
“We are trying to pacify the protesters,” he said.
Sahu said four of the six injured people were discharged after treatment at a hospital in Raipur.Another official said the rescue operation was being carried out with caution as some gases were leaking from the debris and there was a danger of an explosion as explosive material was buried under the debris.
The state government has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident and action will be taken against those found guilty.
It said that the families of the deceased will receive financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh, while Rs 50,000 will be given to the injured, who will also be provided treatment by the government.
Ishwar Khare, in-charge of the 13-member SDRF team in neighboring Dur district, said on Saturday, "According to information, a two-storey building collapsed in the blast at an explosives manufacturing factory. Some people may be trapped beneath it."Debris and search continues."
The explosion left a 30-40 feet deep crater. Some body parts were found in the debris. He said that detailed information will be available after the entire debris is removed.
Rajkumar Yadav, a resident of Borsi village adjacent to the factory, said that his 20-year-old son, who worked in the unit, is missing after the explosion.
Shopkeepers in the area said the impact of the blast was felt within a radius of about four kilometres.
