Ahmedabad, Nov 4 (IANS): Twelve people were killed in a series of blasts and fire in an Ahmedabad cotton mill on Wednesday.
The fire division has recovered 12 bodies at the blast site at a godown on the Pirana-Piplaj road in Ahmedabad and rescued 10 persons. The fire has been completely doused, and the rescue operation is now over. The Ahmedabad Narol police station has registered a case in the incident.
The initial blast, believed to have been caused by some chemical reaction, triggered a series of explosions which later sparked a massive fire that razed a major portion of the building.
Firefighters of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) completely doused the fire at around 7 p.m., after it had erupted following a series of blasts that occurred at the Sahil Enterprises unit in the Nanu Kaka estate.
"We have recovered bodies of 12 victims from the pile of rubble at the site and rescued 10 others. One person is still believed to be buried under the debris and our men are still searching. The blast occurred in the part of Sahil Enterprises and badly affected the adjoining factory of Kanika Sarees. Almost all of the affected persons are employees of Kanika Sarees. As far I know, Sahil Enterprises did not have any kind of NOC from the fire department," Mehernosh Dastoor, Chief Fire Officer of AMC, told IANS.
"We have registered a case of accidental death of seven persons from the Nanu Kaka estate fire incident and the police is still investigating the case. The victims' bodies have been sent for post-mortem," Narol police officer S.A. Gohil said.
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has announced aid of Rs 4 lakh to the kin of each of the victims who died in the blast. He also ordered a probe into the incident.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also offered condolences to the victims' families on Twitter.
"Anguished by the loss of lives due to a fire in a godown in Ahmedabad. Condolences to the bereaved families. Prayers with the injured. The authorities are providing all possible assistance to the affected," Modi tweeted.
Rupani ordered an enquiry into the incident and entrusted it to Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) Labour and Employment department, Vipul Mitra and also to chairman of the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) Sanjeev Kumar.