Firozabad: Five people, including two children and a woman, were killed in a sudden explosion at a firecracker warehouse and factory in Firozabad district of Uttar Pradesh. A senior police officer gave this information on Tuesday. He said that 11 people were injured in the incident. The incident took place on Monday night in Naushera area of Shikohabad police station area.
“Five people, including two children, were killed in the explosion at a firecracker warehouse and factory,” Shikohabad Police Circle Officer (CO) Praveen Tiwari told PTI. Eleven people were injured in the incident. According to information received from the district hospital, the deceased have been identified as Meera Devi (45), Aman (20), Gautam Kushwaha (18), Kumari Ichchha (three) and Abhinay (two). Ichchha and Abhinay are siblings.
On Tuesday, the relatives of the deceased demanded compensation from the government and said that the last rites of the deceased will not be performed until the state government gives them compensation. Later, Shikohabad Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA Mukesh Verma said that the family members finally agreed after the assurance that they will be given compensation soon.
On receiving the information, police and fire brigade officials started rescue work. Shikohabad’s Sub-District Magistrate (SDM) and Police Circle Officer (CO) reached the spot. Officials admitted the injured to the district hospital and sent the bodies to the district hospital for post-mortem.
Earlier, Agra Zone Inspector General of Police (IG) Deepak Kumar, who reached the spot to take stock of the situation, told PTI, “So far about 10 people have been evacuated from the building, out of which four people have died, while six injured have been admitted to the hospital.”
Kumar said, “There is still a possibility that some people are trapped under the debris. Fire brigade personnel and teams of the District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police and officers from the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) office are engaged in relief and rescue work.”
In response to a question, he said, “No permission is granted for any type of firecracker warehouse in a densely populated area. Legal action will be taken after obtaining full information about how this warehouse was being operated in a densely populated area.”
According to the police, firecrackers were being manufactured on a large scale by a person named Bhure Khan in Naushera. On Monday night around 10:30 pm, suddenly there was a loud explosion in the firecracker warehouse, due to which the walls of the firecracker warehouse collapsed and about seven people of the same family living in it got buried under the debris.
The blast was so strong that about a dozen houses in the vicinity were affected, due to which many houses were damaged. The sound of the blast was heard far away. Officials said that after post-mortem, the bodies have been handed over to the relatives. Meanwhile, the relatives of the deceased demanded that money be given for the construction of the damaged houses and the last rites of the deceased will not be performed until the compensation cheque is given.
CO Praveen Tiwari said that District Magistrate Ramesh Ranjan and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Saurabh Dixit, who were present on the spot, talked to the family members, after which the bodies of the deceased are being cremated with the cooperation of the family members.
Giving information about this, Shikohabad MLA Mukesh Verma, who was present on the spot, said that District Magistrate Ramesh Ranjan spoke to the Chief Minister’s Office regarding compensation and assured compensation of Rs 4 lakh each to the deceased, after which the family agreed to perform the last rites.
Verma also said that he has requested the District Magistrate to arrange a 100-yard plot for the housing of the affected people, so that those whose houses have been destroyed can get a roof to live under.
According to a statement issued in this regard, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took cognizance of the accident that took place at the firecracker warehouse in Shikohabad area of Firozabad district. The Chief Minister directed the district administration officials to immediately take the injured to the hospital and provide them proper treatment and also wished for their speedy recovery. The Chief Minister also directed the district administration officials to reach the spot and expedite the relief work.
UP Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said in a message on ‘X’, “Very sad news has been received about the casualties of many people in the accident caused by the explosion in a firecracker warehouse located in Shikohabad area of Firozabad district. I pray to God to provide speedy recovery to the injured in the accident and give place to the departed souls in his lotus feet. Maurya said, “Along with this, the state government has instructed the district administrative officials to carry out rescue and relief work at a fast pace. Om Shanti:.”