4 killed, 27 injured in blast at cracker factory in Punjab’s Muktsar

Four people were killed and 27 injured in a blast at a cracker factory at Fatuhiwala village in Lambi segment of this district in the early hours of Friday. There were around 40 workers in the factory. The blast occurred around 1 am, triggering panic among the workers. Arun Kumar, a worker, said, “We were sleeping after the night shift when all of a sudden a blast occurred and many of us got trapped under the debris.” A local said it was a double-storey factory with some rooms on the first floor. Rescue teams from the fire department and police rushed to the spot. At the time of filing this report, some workers were still trapped under the debris, and the rescue was on. The cause of the blast is yet to be ascertained. Local authorities said several people received injuries, and a few are still feared trapped. Lambi DSP Jaspal Singh said four bodies had been retrieved from the debris, while 27 injured had been sent to the AIIMS, Bathinda.” The DSP said it was a licensed factory, located in the fields away from the residential area. They would investigate the case thoroughly, he added.

Punjab