Seven people perish in Balasore district, one each at Pipli and Rourkela
Balasore/Pipli/Rourkela: In pre-Diwali mishaps in different parts of the state, at least nine people were burnt to death while 17 others sustained critical injuries in three different mishaps triggered by fire cracker blasts.
Seven, including two minors, were killed and seven injured when an illegal cracker unit at Bahabalpur village in Balasore district went up in flames Wednesday, said IG (fire services) Santosh Bala.
In another incident, one minor girl was killed and four others seriously injured when firecrackers went off accidentally at an illegal cracker-making unit at Bilipada in Laxminarayanpur panchayat under Pipli police limits. Similarly, another person was burnt to death and three others critically injured at a major fire at a cracker market in Steel City in late Tuesday night.
Rescue operation at the blast site in Balasore is in full swing. The SP, collector, fire service personnel and tehsildar rushed to the spot soon after receiving the information.
As per the latest report, locals and administration rescued 12 critically burnt people from the site and rushed them to the district headquarters hospital. However, as their condition grew critical, they were shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack. The illegal cracker unit is owned by Golak Bihari Pradhan.
The minor girl, who died in the mishap in Pipli area, has been identified as Pragyan Behera while the injured were Pragyan’s mother Reshma and three villagers—Malu Behera, Bichhu Behera and Sidhia Behera.
Sources said siblings Malu and Bichhu had been preparing firecrackers illegally in their house over last few days. A few firecrackers went off around 11 am. The two brothers and Sidhia, a customer, sustained severe burn injuries in the explosion.
According to villagers, the explosion was so powerful that it ripped away a portion of Malu and Bichhu’s house. Debris from the explosion site hit Reshma and her daughter Pragyan who were purchasing grocery from a nearby shop, villagers said.
“The little girl died when she was being treated at Capital Hospital while four injured have been shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital for advanced treatment,” said a villager.
On being informed, a police team led by sub-divisional police officer Dillip Kumar Tripathy and Pipli inspector in-charge Srinivash Mohanty visited Bilipada and initiated a probe into the incident.
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