Two brothers have been arrested in connection with an explosion at an illegal firecracker manufacturing unit in Ludhiana, India, which resulted in one death and two injuries. Police are investigating the cause of the blast and searching for a third brother involved in the operation.
Two minor workers sustained severe burn injuries after a fire broke out at an illegal firecracker factory in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh. Police have registered a case and an investigation is underway.
An illegal firecracker factory was discovered in Dewas district, Madhya Pradesh, leading to arrests and the booking of the operator under the National Security Act.
An explosion at a firecracker factory in Madhya Pradesh's Dewas district resulted in multiple fatalities and injuries, prompting investigations and government action.
The police seized a huge quantity of explosives and banned firecrackers during raids in different locations in rural West Bengal and arrested at least 100 people for their alleged involvement in running illegal manufacturing factories, a senior state police official said on Tuesday.
The Trinamool Congress supremo, who reached Khadikul village in this area, 11 days after the blast, also said the incident could have been averted if the state had received proper intelligence inputs.
Rescue officials confirmed casualties in the incident, claiming to have already recovered 5 bodies from the heap of debris where the cracker manufacturing unit once stood.
The impact of the explosion "was so massive" that the factory, which was being run from a residential building, collapsed, the police said.
Some videos of the incident surfaced on social media showing the fire with intermittent explosions taking place at the site and people running to save themselves.
Eighteen people were killed and five others injured after a firecracker warehouse exploded and collapsed in Gujarat's Banaskantha district on Tuesday. The incident occurred in an industrial area near Deesa town around 9:45 a.m., killing workers from Madhya Pradesh and their family members. The warehouse was used to store firecrackers, but there is no evidence that firecrackers were being manufactured there. The Gujarat government has announced financial assistance for the victims' families.
Another explosion "linked to illegal firecrackers" took place in West Bengal on Monday, the third such blast within a span of just seven days.
A gas cylinder blast in a house at Dholahat in West Bengal's Pathar Pratima has claimed eight lives, including four children. The explosion, which occurred on Monday night, triggered a massive fire, intensified by the presence of stacked firecrackers inside the house. The incident has sparked a political controversy, with the BJP demanding a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe and the TMC maintaining that the police are already investigating and that the state government has a "zero-tolerance " policy towards such incidents. The blast has also raised concerns about the safety of illegal firecracker manufacturing units, which have been linked to several recent accidents in the state.
"Rescue operation are still going on and we fear more recovery of bodies from the debris," Circle Officer of Deeg police station Prem Shankar Meena told PTI over phone. Six houses collapsed following explosions at an illegal crackers factory at Deeg on Wednesday.
A police team from Purba Medinipur district also visited neighbouring Odisha in search of the absconding factory owner.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said that the Bharatiya Janata Party might conduct the Lok Sabha polls in December itself, claiming that all choppers have been booked by the saffron party for campaigning.
Teams of National Disaster Response Force were trying to find out any person still trapped under the debris, officials said.
Eleven people were charred to death and four others injured in an explosion in an illegal firecracker unit at Pingla in West Midnapore district.
The Dera's sprawling headquarters include an ostentatious '7-star MSG resort' with replicas of Eiffel Tower, Taj Mahal, Kremlin and Disney World inside.
Vineet Kumar had changed several hard disks before the search operation at its headquarters in Sirsa.
In terms of casualties, Friday's fire at the commercial building was the largest since the blaze at a factory in the Anaj Mandi area and the second largest since the Uphaar Cinema tragedy in 1997.
The blast took place at the shop in Rohta Bazaar, which was run by Kaliyar Mansoori. His son was running a carpet factory behind the shop and its workers could be among those trapped under the debris, District Magistrate Rajendra Prasad said.
The police have booked two persons for culpable homicide in the incident.
Delhi, which has gained infamy as one of the world's most polluted cities, has for some years now witnessed a sustained campaign from various quarters seeking a ban on firecrackers. While the Centre launched the newly approved, eco-friendly firecrackers earlier this month as a "safer and cheaper" alternative, the mood in the market is tepid, says Ritwik Sharma.
Efforts continued to trace Dera chief's adopted daughter Honeypreet Insan.
Amendments to the Child Labour Act say children can work in 'family enterprises' but the definition isn't clear, points out Shyamal Majumdar.
'We are against Alibaba investing in Paytm.' 'We are against the concessions given to Paytm.' 'In fact, we want Paytm to close down because of its alliance with Alibaba.'
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