One of the four people injured in an explosion at a firecracker factory in Champahati in West Bengal succumbed to injuries Sunday morning.
The deceased was identified as Gouhari Ganguly, 70, who suffered around 80 per cent burns, according to hospital sources. Meanwhile, the other three injured, Gour Gangopadhyay, Kishan Mandal and Rahul Mandal, remain critical and are fighting for their life.
According to police sources, an investigation is underway, and the factory owner in the South 24 Parganas district is still absconding. (https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/kolkata/explosion-firecracker-factory-west-bengal-champahati-critically-injured-10466326/)
“The owner of the factory is absconding. The cause of the explosion is yet to be ascertained. A probe has been initiated,” said Pratap Sengupta, Additional Superintendent of Police, Baruipur.
The explosion occurred around 1 pm, damaging the facility and adjacent houses, a senior police officer said. The workers sustained burn injuries and were promptly admitted to hospitals in Baruipur and Kolkata for treatment. One of the victims has suffered 90 per cent burn injuries. Several fire tenders were deployed to extinguish the fire caused by the explosion.
According to local residents, the explosion took place while work was going on in the factory, and the impact of the blast was so great that a part of the building and a nearby large tree were gutted. They claimed that the blast was so deafening and severe that the asbestos roof of the factory was blown off.
“The explosion occurred all of a sudden. The wall collapsed due to the intensity of the explosion. Four people were injured. They were taken to a medical centre,” Sanjeev Mandal, a resident, said.
A preliminary investigation indicates that the blast may have been triggered by unskilled workers mishandling explosive materials, according to an officer.
The firecrackers were reportedly being produced for wedding celebrations, the officer added. Earlier, in December 2024, three people were killed in an explosion at a firecracker manufacturing unit in Champahati.