Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): A major blast took place in a scrap storage in Adhartal area at Jabalpur sending ripples across the locality and prompting authorities to go for a search of two workers that couldn't be traced after the incident on Thursday. A body part of one of the workers was found meters away from the blast area.
Perhaps, the ammunition scrap from ordinance factory might have caused the blast but no confirmation of any sort was available till filing of this report at mid-night. Fires tenders were rushed to the spot. District officials including collector, SP, officials of Jabalpur municipal corporation visited the area and started the rescue work.
ASP Sonali Dubey told Free Press, “A blast had occurred in the Adhartal area of the Jabalpur city at around 3.30 pm. The explosion scattered the tin shades in the area. Two persons working in the storage are missing and police have found some body parts from the site.” The fire tenders have doused the blaze and the entire area has been sealed, said the ASP, adding that the bomb disposal squad and forensic team have been pressed into service.
The officer, however, refused to comment if the explosion were related to defence ammunition, saying that it was too early to say something until the forensic team certified it.
She added that Haji Shamim, a history sheeter of Gohelpur police station area, owned the storage. Locals said that the sound of the explosion could be heard some 3 to 4 kilometres away from scrap storage. The houses in the vicinity developed cracks, whereas the police have vacated the houses situated nearby the storage.
An ordinance factory is situated in Khamaria of the city and also few more factories related to explosive manufacturing runs in the district. Bombs and explosives are tested in the firing range. Rag pickers and even others make an earning by collecting the shells of the bombs which they sell to the scrap dealer and finally it reaches the wholesale dealer. Sometimes while extracting the explosive and the shell, such blasts occur.
