A labourer, who was injured in a furnace blast at a scrap moulding factory at Mandi Gobindgarh, is being rushed to Rajindra Hospital, Patiala, where he later died.
— Photo by Rajesh Sachar. |
Mandi Gobindgarh/Fatehgarh Sahib,
December 27
Three workers of a scrap moulding factory were killed and 12 injured when a blast took place in a furnace here today. The blast took place in the early morning at Rajiv Alloys Pvt. Ltd. on the Amloh road here.
Those killed have been identified as Brahm Dev, Dharaminder and Badra. Brahm Dev was killed on the spot, while Dharminder and Dadra succumbed to their injuries at Rajindra Hospital, Patiala. The 12 injured have been admitted to Kausa Nursing Home and the Civil Hospital, Mandi Gobindgarh.
The blast was so powerful that the roof of the furnace and some portion of the building were also damaged. According to eyewitnesses, the furnace was running as usual and all of a sudden a blast occurred, leading to complete darkness.
A case has been registered against Rajinder Kumar and Sanjeev Kumar, owners of the factory, under Sections 304-A, IPC, and 3/4 of the Explosives Act. No arrests have been made so far.
This is the fifth blast in an induction furnace within three months at Mandi Gobindgarh and many lives have been lost in these blasts.
Mr Hukam Chand Bansal, an officer-bearer of the Induction Furnace Association, said there were 60 furnaces in the town and all these depend on imported as well as local scrap. Not only bomb but any air-tight object could cause a blast, he added.
The Deputy Commissioner, Fatehgarh Sahib, visited the site and asked the SDM, Amloh, to identify the exact cause of the blast.
