Solapur: Three women died in a blast at a firecracker factory located in the Shirale village in Solapur district on Sunday. At least 7 other workers present in the factory were severely injured and are currently under treatment at the nearby Pangri Rural Hospital. The exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.
As informed by the probing officials, the factory was fully functional when the blast occurred with as many as 40 employees working inside. While some workers have been rescued from the fire, many others are suspected to be trapped inside as the rescue officials continue the search. The injured are under treatment at the Pangri rural hospital, even as one of the patients has been moved to Osmanabad for treatment due to extremely critical conditions.
Officials from the fire brigade, police administration, and tehsildar reached the spot as soon as they were informed about the accident and began the rescue operations. The site also has ambulances deployed at the accident site. The officials have also expressed the possibility of the death toll going further up.
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"There was a blast inside the firecracker manufacturing unit, which led to the fire," a fire official said. "After being alerted, the fire brigade and police personnel rushed to the spot and started a rescue operation," he added.
Dr. Virendra Patil, Medical Superintendent of the Rural Hospital in Pangri, said that the hospital has so far received the dead bodies of three women whose identities have not been ascertained yet.
