11 killed in explosion in illegal cracker factory

Police said all the victims were staff members of the firecracker factory where the blast occurred shortly before 10 p.m last night

Eleven people were charred to death and four others injured in an explosion in an illegal firecracker unit at Pingla in West Midnapore district.

"Eleven charred bodies have been recovered so far. Four injured have been admitted to hospital," police officials said.

On the reason behind the blast, District Superintendent of Police B Ghosh said, "We are looking into it. Probably something went wrong during manufacturing of crackers." The bodies were badly burnt and it is difficult to even identify their gender, the officials said, adding the bodies were taken to Midnapore Medical College Hospital for post-mortem.

Police said the factory is illegal and the blast took place shortly before 10 PM last night and the fire has been put out.

All the victims were employees of the factory who were brought from Murshidabad district, police said.

The police detained the owner of the house, Ranjan Maiti, and are looking for another person in connection with the explosion.

Police said they were scanning for other such firecracker units in neighbouring areas like Sabang and Balichak, besides Pingla.

Meanwhile, CID sources in Kolkata said that a CID team is going to visit Pingla during the day and a central forensic team has reached there.

Police said that it is on the look out for another person in connection with the explosion.

Neighbouring areas like Sabang and Baliachak, besides Pingla were being scanned for other such firecracker units, it added.

CID sources in Kolkata said a CID team would visit Pingla and a central forensic team has already reached there.

Meanwhile, Congress and BJP have demanded a probe by NIA into the incident.

Congress leader Manas Bhunia, an MLA from neighbouring Sabang, visited the spot and demanded NIA probe.

Bhunia, who earlier met governor K N Tripathi on the issue, said it was unlikely that police did not know about the existence of the illegal cracker unit.

State BJP president Rahul Sinha who too demanded NIA investigation into the incident, alleged the involvement of Jaamat-e-Islami outfit in it.

"I have informed Union Home minister Rajnath Singh of the explosion. The chief minister should request the centre for NIA probe into the explosion", he said.

Stating that CPI-M had no faith in CID, party state secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra said it wanted a court- monitored probe.

Mishra, also CPI-M Politburo member, alleged that "bomb-making factories were flourishing in Bengal while other factories were closed under the TMC rule."