Four people, including a resident of Agartala in Tripura state, were killed in an explosion at a metal processing plant in Assam’s Cachar district on Sunday morning, police said.
The deceased have been identified as Abu Borik (32), Kiron Munda (28), Shyamal Gaur and Sagar Nath from Agartala. The police said that the four died on the spot. After doctors at Silchar Medical College and Hospital confirmed the death, the bodies were sent for post-mortem examination.
“The bodies have been identified by family members. A case will be registered and further investigations will be conducted,” said Sanjeev Saikia, senior police inspector of Cachar.
According to the police, the explosion occurred at around 11 am at the mineral processing unit of Kade Global Infrastructure LLP in Pangram under Udarbund constituency.
Police, fire and emergency personnel rushed to the factory shortly after the explosion and rescued several injured workers. While some were taken to hospitals for treatment, others sustained minor injuries and later returned to their homes.
Local residents said that the explosion was so powerful that its sound could be heard throughout the area.
A local resident said: “The sound was deafening. When we arrived at the place, we saw the bodies torn apart, and body parts scattered in a wide area.”
According to the police, Kade Global Infrastructure LLP was established in the area a few years ago and operates two units where scrap metal collected from various sources is processed. Sunday’s explosion occurred at the newer unit in Pangram, which was built nearly a year ago.
Assam Minister Kaushik Rai, who visited the site, said a judicial inquiry has been ordered along with a police probe and a separate probe by the district labor commissioner to ensure that mandatory safety measures for workers are followed.
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“The district administration has sought details from the owners regarding the safety measures followed at the factory. The exact cause of the explosion is also being investigated. At present, a four-layer investigation is underway,” Rai said.
He said Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma called him to take stock of the situation and assured that the state government would provide it $5 thousand pounds for each family of the deceased.
“We will also ask the company owners to provide appropriate compensation to the family members,” he added.
Local residents claimed that similar explosions of relatively lower intensity had occurred at the plant several times in the past but were never officially reported.
“Such incidents have happened many times before. The victims never showed up again and as far as we know, they were workers from other states who were quietly brought back. We want everything to be properly investigated,” a local resident claimed, requesting anonymity.
“We were told that he was injured, but they did not let us in. Now they are saying that he died, but even then we were not allowed to see him immediately. This shows that they were trying to hide the whole incident. We are demanding a proper investigation,” a family member of Abu Burik claimed. Appu is survived by his wife and child.
If evidence of previous incidents emerges during the investigation, the government will examine those as well, Ray said.
“As I said, a four-tier investigation is now underway and whoever is found responsible for this accident will be brought to book. Not only this, the state government will also examine the safety measures followed in similar industries across the state.”
A large number of residents of Pangram and neighboring areas gathered outside the factory on Sunday afternoon and staged a protest, alleging repeated safety violations and demanding strict action against those responsible.
The owners of Kade Global Infrastructure LLP could not be reached for comment.
