Death toll in firecracker factory blast rises to 12

Kolkata (IANS) | The death toll in the explosion at an illegal firecracker factory in West Bengal’s East Midnapore district rose to 12 on Saturday as two more people died. The two people who died since late Friday night have been identified as Ravindra Maity and Pinky Maity.

Nine deaths were reported on the day of the blast (Tuesday). The main accused and owner of the illegal factory, Krishnapada Bagh, who was among the injured, died at a private hospital in Odisha’s Cuttack on Friday morning, taking the death toll to 10.

Now, the death toll in the tragedy has risen to 12 with the death of two more injured and those under treatment at Government SSKM Medical College and Hospital.

Officials of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the state police are currently probing the matter. Krishanpad Bagh’s son Prithvijit Bagh and nephew Vishwajit Bagh have already been taken into custody by the authorities.

A division bench of the Calcutta High Court on Thursday directed the CID to continue with the probe but also asked to include sections of the Explosives Act in the FIR.

In the initial FIR lodged by the police, only sections under the Indian Penal Code and the West Bengal Fire Service Act were included, for which the state police was severely criticized.

Preliminary police investigation indicated that the explosion was probably caused by raw material stored for making firecrackers. Opposition parties have claimed that the effect of the explosion proved that crude bombs were being made there, not firecrackers.

–IANS