At least eight people were killed and 25 others were injured after a fire engulfed an allegedly illegal firecracker factory in Kumardubi district of Jharkhand, ANI reported on Monday. Several fire tenders were deployed to douse the blaze. Media reports, however, differed on the toll from the incident.
A wall of the factory collapsed in the fire, and some people are feared trapped under it, said Ghatsila Sub-Divisional Officer Arvind Kumar Lal. However, there is no confirmation yet on how the fire broke out.
People living in the vicinity of the site have been evacuated from their homes. Local Bharatiya Janata Party MP Bidyut Baran Mahato announced an ex-gratia amount of Rs 2 lakh to the deceased’s next of kin, and Rs 50,000 for the injured. Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das said an investigation was under way.
In a separate incident, around 20 people were injured in a fire that broke out at a firecracker factory in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district. Five fire tenders have been deployed to Amdanga, ANI reported.
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