At least five hurt in furnace explosion at factory in West Bengal
At least five workers were injured after a furnace exploded at a sponge iron factory in West Bengal's Paschim Bardhaman district, triggering a fire inside
At least five workers were injured after a furnace exploded at a sponge iron factory in West Bengal's Paschim Bardhaman district, triggering a fire inside the unit, police said. The blast took place late on Friday in Jamuria and was heard nearly a kilometre away. Police and fire services launched a large rescue operation after the explosion. Officials said the heat around the furnace rose sharply after the blast, making rescue work extremely difficult, while locals claimed that several workers were still unaccounted for.
Read Full Story A senior police officer said the explosion set off a fire inside the factory. Jamuria Police Station Officer-in-Charge Soumendra Singh Thakur said, "Five workers have been rescued so far and shifted to different hospitals in critical condition. It is not yet clear whether anyone else was near the furnace at the time of the explosion." He added, "Search operations inside the unit cannot begin until the temperature is brought down and the area is declared safe." Another police officer said the temperature near the furnace increased to very high levels after the blast, making rescue operations extremely difficult.
Locals claimed that eight to 10 workers were still unaccounted for and were feared trapped inside the factory. They also said houses near the factory developed cracks because of the impact of the explosion. Questioning the safety standards at the plant, local BJP leader Deep Bandopadhyay alleged that no representative of the factory management or security personnel was present after the accident. "Despite such a devastating incident, nobody from the management was seen at the spot. Local MLA Bijan Mukhopadhyay immediately arranged the ambulances to ensure the injured were taken to hospitals without delay," Bandopadhyay said.
He further alleged that workers at the factory were made to work under unsafe conditions and demanded a comprehensive probe into the incident. The explosion left five workers critically injured, triggered a fire inside the factory and led to continuing concern over the fate of others who may have been near the furnace. Ends
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