Fireworks were stored in a house in Patharpratima police station in South 24 Parganas, West Bengal. An explosion occurred there last night. Photo: Collected
At least 21 people were killed in separate explosions at two fireworks factories in West Bengal and Gujarat, India. Six people were injured in the incident. These incidents occurred on Monday night and Tuesday morning.
Police said that an explosion occurred at a fireworks factory in Disa, Banaskantha district, Gujarat on Tuesday morning. At least 13 people were killed. Six were injured. Members of the National Disaster Response Team are working on rescue operations at the scene. However, the cause of the explosion is not known.
Earlier, on Monday night, an explosion occurred in a house where fireworks were stored in Raipur, Dholahat, Patharpratima police station in South 24 Parganas district, West Bengal. Eight people, including four children from the same family, died in this.
Police said that the house is known as Banik Bari. This family was involved in the manufacture and sale of fireworks. At that time, a gas cylinder in the house caught fire and exploded.
The locals said that they had been demanding the removal of the fireworks factory for a long time. However, ignoring that demand, a large quantity of fireworks was stored in the house. Since the incident, two brothers of the house, Chandrakant Banik and Tushar Banik, have been missing.
