Multan
Fireworks explosion kills 3 children

2004 -- Three children of the same family were killed when fireworks exploded at their home in Haq town near the Multan International Cricket Stadium on Monday afternoon.

DPO Hamid Mukhtar Gondal said that a man  had stocked fireworks at his home. His children, 14-year-old son, two daughters, five-year-old ---- and six-year-old ----, were nearby when the fireworks exploded, killing them instantly.

He said that fireworks were being manufactured at large scale to celebrate independence day.

The DPO ruled out any bomb blast, arguing that it would have created a crater in the earth which did not happen in this case.

 

Yakupur village
8 die in fire-cracker factory blast

2004 -- Eight workers, including two women, working in a fire-cracker factory died last evening when some explosive material caught fire while they were manufacturing fire-crackers in the factory room, situated near Yakupur village on the Jhajjar-Gurgaon road, here. Six others are struggling for life.

According to information, the workers were engaged in the manufacturing of crackers when some explosive dropped from a height and burst. The fire spread to the raw explosive stored in the room leading to a big blast. The reports say that 14 workers were present in the room at the time of the mishap.

The police has booked the two owners of the unit.

The two injured are in critical condition.

All workers received more than 40 per cent burns. They were first taken to a nearby hospital in Farukhnagar town where doctors referred them to Gurgaon. Four to them succumbed to their injuries at the Gurgaon hospital. Later, they were taken to Safdarjang hospital, Delhi, where four more died.

The SSP, said a case causing death due to negligence under Section 304-B of the IPC has been registered against ---- of Preet Vihar, Delhi, and ----, who resides in Subham Apartments, Delhi, owners of The Fireworks Company.

Mr ---- stated that all documents concerning the factory, including the attendance registers, no-objection certificates and other officials documents have been taken into possession. The factory has been sealed and policemen posted there and in the village.

He further said the factory had the NOCs for running the unit, including stocking of explosive and manufacturing crackers.

Thammal
Blast in cracker unit kills three

2004 -- At least three persons were killed and five others injured in an explosion in a fireworks factory at Thammal near here today.

The dead have been identified. The five injured are undergoing treatment in various hospitals. Among the injured are the son of the owner of the cracker unit.

According to police, the incident occurred at around 9.30 a.m when the factory had just opened for the morning shift. 'The morning shift usually had 25 persons working. But luckily today, only around 15 had come in at that time,' sources said.

'It is not clear as to what really caused the explosion. But we heard a loud noise and before we could react, long tongues of flames were gripping the entire area,' an eyewitness outside the factory said. Police feel that a faulty electric connection could have triggered a spark or two and that could have led to the explosion.

Workers were involved in making fireworks for the new year and Christmas when the explosion happened, sources said. The fire quickly spread to the nearby godown laden with explosives. 'The fire was huge as everything in the vicinity was completely razed to ground,' eyewitnesses said.

The three victims were inside the factory at the time of the accident. They were burnt alive within minutes, sources said.

The factory is one of the oldest in the area and was owned by ---. 'He has been running it for the last 30 years,' a local said.

His son aged 30, was also in the factory at the time of the explosion. He suffered third degree burns and has been taken to the KMC Hospital in Chennai. His condition is said to be critical.

Four others, including two women, are undergoing treatment in local hospitals. Fire service personnel who rushed to the spot were still trying to put out the fire. However, they have prevented it from spreading to the nearby areas. Senior police officials also rushed to the spot and are conducting inquiries.