6 killed, 60 houses gutted in blast in cracker factory in MP’s Harda
Six persons were killed and 30 persons were injured in a blast in an illegal firecracker factory in Madhya Pradesh’s Harda on Tuesday morning, people familiar with the matter said. Police said the whole city was engulfed with black smoke after the blast in the cracker factory in Harda. (Representative Image) Sixty near houses were gutted in the fire in Bairagarh locality of Harda drict and over three dozen commuters came under the influence of explosion. The adminration has evacuated more than 100 houses. There are continuous explosions in the factory. A large number of two wheelers also caught fire in the explosion. Discover the thrill of cricket like never before, exclusively on HT. Explore now! Harda civil surgeon Dr Manish Sharma said, “Six people died while over 30 were injured. The casualty and injured people will be increased.” Harda superintendent of police (SP) Sanjeev Kanchan said, “A massive explosion took place in the factory on Tuesday morning. The whole city engulfed with black smoke. After receiving the information, fire brigade vehicles have been sent to the spot. The cause of the fire is currently unknown. Ambulances and fire engines have been called from Harda, Betul, Khandwa and Narmadapuram.” According to local adminration, it was informed that there were 100 labourers in the factory. Chief miner Dr. Mohan Yadav has called an emergency meeting regarding the incident. The CM has immediately instructed miner Uday Pratap Singh, additional chief secretary Ajit Kesari and deputy general Home Guard Arvind Kumar to go there helicopter. The Medical College in Bhopal, Indore and the burn unit in AIIMS Bhopal have been asked to make necessary preparations. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams are reaching the spot. ABOUT THE AUTHOR She is a senior reporter based at Bhopal. She covers higher education, social issues, youth affairs, woman and child development related issues, sports and business & industries. …view detail
