Four charred to death, three injured in firecracker factory blast in Roorkee, Uttarakhand

Police sources said that while Adnan, Arman, and an unknown person were burnt alive in the explosion, the three injured were initially rushed to the Civil Hospital Roorkee from where they were later referred to the Higher Center for better treatment.

Roorkee (Uttarakhand): Four people including two minors have been charred to death in an explosion at an illegal firecracker factory in Roorkee in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand on Monday. Police sources said that three persons suffered serious burn injuries in the blast adding that the reason behind the explosion is yet to be ascertained.

They further revealed that two of the deceased have been identified as Adnan (15) and Armaan (16) while the identity of the third one is yet to be determined. As for the injured, the officials said that they have been identified as Neeraj (22), Suraj (23), and Ayush adding that they are currently undergoing treatment in a critical condition.

Police said that on Monday morning three factory workers Adnam, Armaan, Suraj and Neeraj were working inside the factory while keeping its shutters down. Suddenly, a huge blast rocked the building which soon got engulfed by raging flames. According to locals, the intensity of the fire was as such that five nearby shops also went ablaze.

Fire Brigade personnel and a police team rushed to the spot upon being informed by locals. Police sources said that in a bid to douse the flames the fire brigade personnel first broke open the shutter of the shop and then had to demolish the back wall as several explosions were heard from inside the factory. It took three hours to douse the flames, officials said.

According to police sources, while Adnan, Arman, and an unknown person were burnt alive in the explosion, the three injured were initially rushed to the Civil Hospital Roorkee from where they were later referred to the Higher Center for better treatment.

The relatives of the deceased demanded compensation and said that they will not allow the bodies to be sent for post-mortem till the demands were met.

Speaking to reporters, Haridwar SSP Ajay Singh said that after the forensic investigation is completed they will come to know the exact reason behind the fire and how many workers were inside the factory when it went up in flames. " Action will be taken as per law against those found to be negligent," he added.