At least two people died and three others were injured on Thursday afternoon in an explosion at a godown in Bengaluru, ANI reported, citing the police. However, The Hindu reported that three people had died and two had sustained injuries.
The godown was reportedly being used as a storage facility for firecrackers.
The origin of the blast is still being investigated, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Harish told PTI. However, he said that the explosion “definitely” looked to have been caused by firecrackers, according to the Hindustan Times.
“The major impact is from the cracker only,” he said. “It seems almost 80 boxes were stored here, we still have to calculate.”
Pandey said that one of the one the deceased, whose body was dismembered in the blast, was standing next to the box when it exploded.
“It looks like a handling-related explosion, we’ll get to know the exact details once the chemical team from FSL [Forensic Science Labarotory] is here,” he added.
Another person was near the entrance of the storage unit when the explosion took place, Pandey said, according to NDTV. He was declared dead when he was brought to the hospital.
A transport company owns the storage unit and it was being used as a transit godown when the blast took place.
“Obviously, they are not allowed to put explosives in a transit godown,” Pandey said.
Meanwhile, Congress legislator Zameer Ahmed Khan visited the explosion site and announced Rs 2 lakh compensation for families of the deceased, according to the Hindustan Times. Khan said that he will make arrangements for treatment of those who were injured.
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