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Blaze at Kanpur arms depot

A fire broke out Sunday in a large army ammunition depot in Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh, an army official said.

He said 12 fire engines tackled the blaze which engulfed an Army storehouse with 130 mm long-range shells, grenades, detonators and other explosive material.

"The fire fighters took about three hours to bring the blaze under control. There is no cause for alarm. We still have to look into the exact cause of the fire. I can offer no instant answers," he said.

He said a team of specialists had been sent from New Delhi for an on-the-spot assessment of the situation.

The fire triggered panic in Kanpur but there were no immediate reports of casualties.

It follows a devastating blaze last month at a giant ammunition depot in Bharatpur, Rajasthan, where India lost over 86 million dollars worth of ammunition. It killed two people, injured seven and caused extensive damage in villages within a 10-kilometre radius.

India's defence establishment came under attack from the media and Opposition parties for the fire in the ammunition depot.

AFP

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