BBC Gujarati
Rajesh Nayak said his brother was one of the 21 people killed
Tuesday morning, Rajesh Nayak came out of the warehouse of firecrackers in the state of Gujarat in India where he worked to drink water.
A few moments later, an explosion torn the building, killing 21 people, including Mr. Nayak’s brother.
“Some of my other relatives are also dead. I came to work here only on Sunday,” said a distraught nayak, who is in hospital with minor injuries.
Most of the victims came from the neighboring state of Madhya Pradesh and had recently come to work in the warehouse, located in an industrial area in the Banaskantha district in Gujarat.
Their families lived in huts close to the building and some of them were also killed by the force of the explosion. Banaskantha district collector Mihir Patel told the BBC Gujarati that the victims included four women and three children.
It is not yet clear what caused the explosion, but the managers investigate if the firecrackers were manufactured illegally in the warehouse.
“Primary information was received according to which the explosion took place when firecrackers were manufactured here,” said Mr. Patel, the collector.
India has strict rules around the production of firecrackers, but these are often not strongly forced on the ground. Accidents are regularly reported, especially in illegal factories.
The Gujarat incident occurred one day after eight people were killed in an explosion in an illegal firecracker factory hundreds of kilometers from there in the state of Western Bengal.
Gujarat police arrested two men, owners of the warehouse, as part of the explosion and seeks another person. A special survey team was created to examine the incident.
Banaskantha district police chief Akshay Raj Makwana said a preliminary investigation has shown that aluminum powder was stored in the building.
“This powder is non -explosive but flammable and easily available on the market. We are studying the supply chain and how the accused obtained such equipment,” said Makwana.
Mr. Patel told journalists that the building had been recorded as a warehouse to store firecrackers, but his license had expired in December. When a team went to inspect the region in March, he said, the building was empty.
BBC Gujarati
The explosion site which killed at least 21 people in the state of Gujarat
When the BBC Gujarati reached the area on Tuesday, the air felt very sulfur.
The explosion caused many damage, destroying the warehouse and a wall of the adjacent factory. Large concrete slabs have been thrown up to 300 feet.
Mr. Makwana, the police chief, said that a building slab collapsed, trapping workers below.
The powerful explosion also destroyed the surrounding huts and killed certain members of the workers’ family.
A sanitation worker told the BBC Gujarati that he had made four bodies on civilian civilians. “My heart sank when I saw the body of a child,” he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, from Gujarat, expressed condolences to the families of the victims and announced financial assistance.
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