M A I N   N E W S

14,000 tonnes ammunition destroyed, probe ordered
Tribune News Service and agencies

NEW DELHI, April 29—About 14,000 tonnes of ammunition used in small arms, tanks and long-range artillery shells was destroyed in a fire which broke out in the army depot near Bharatpur as the Army today ordered a court of inquiry to ascertain the cause of the disaster. Defence Minister George Fernandes made an aerial survey of the spot during the day. The Prime Minister was also briefed about the prevailing situation by Cabinet Secretary Prabhat Kumar. Earlier in day, the Defence Minister also held a meeting with senior Defence Ministry officials to review the situation. He had cut short his visit to Jammu and Kashmir and returned to the Capital late yesterday.

An Army man removing an exploded rocket which landed from the flaming Bharatpur ammunition depot. A number of houses in the village received direct hits from flying shells. — PTI

Reports here said that the security in the border districts of Rajasthan had been tightened after the incident. Precautionary measures had also been beefed up in the other defence establishments in the state.

Although there were still no indications, but the intelligence agencies did not rule out the possibility of a conspiracy behind the fire. As a result orders have been given for the beefing up of the security around all defence establishments in the state.

The fire claimed three civilian lives and an equal number were injured. Villagers within 10 km radius of the Army depot had to be evacuated as a result of the fire, which at one time threatened to assume disastrous proportions. The casualties were due to injuries caused by shrapnels.

The Army spokesman here said that a court of inquiry had been ordered and it would be headed by a Major General. The court of inquiry would go into the cause of the fire. The spokesman also said 14,000 tonnes of ammunition had been destroyed in the fire which broke out at about 3 p.m. yesterday.

According to sources a large quantity of surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) and anti-tank missiles, which form part of the Indian Army’s armoury, were also stored in the complex, but there was no damage to them. The authorities had reportedly stored the SAM-6 and SAM-7 missiles in the complex, but they were said to be safe.

Had the fire spread to the spot where they were stored, it could have spelt catastrophe not only for the entire Bharatpur and also for the neighbouring Agra city, the sources said.

Though fire has been contained, three out of 20 ammunition storing sheds were still smouldering with shells going off occasionally.

The exact cause of the fire was not yet known but it is suspected to have been triggered by short circuit in the high tension wire fencing and assumed devastating proportion due to high velocity wind and heat, the sources said. Reports reaching here said that deafening sounds were still being heard at regular intervals inside the precincts of the depot which was completely sealed by the army authorities.

However, the fire engines were operating from outside the complex with the army authorities not allowing them inside due to the fire that was still raging in three of the sheds. This was being done to avoid any further untoward incident.

People who had fled from Anipur, Bawayen, Munwada, Mandawani, Kunjoli, Girdharpur, Kasauda and other villages surrounding the depot after the blast, started returning home by this morning.

A senior official here said personnel of the Rajasthan Armed Constabulary and the local police had started an operation to clear nearby railway tracks of semi-exploded shells. Rail and road traffic, which was suspended after the fire broke out, resumed in the wee hours today after the railway authorities accompanied by army officials checked the route.

Meanwhile, Mr Fernandes said the army would begin combing operations inside and around the precincts of the ammunition dump to defuse unexploded and semi-exploded shells.

Stating that the ammunition kept out in the open had been completely destroyed, he told reporters here that preliminary information suggested that the blaze started after a heap of grass caught fire. “The full facts cannot be ascertained as blasts are still taking place,” Mr Fernandes said.

A watchman tried to douse the fire when he saw the grass burning. Rockets had hit 16 villages besides Bharatpur , he said.