6 killed in blast at ammo depot in Maharashtra

PULGAON (WARDHA): Six people — an employee of the ordnance factory (OF) at Khamaria in Jabalpur and five casual labourers — were killed and 10 others injured in a blast at Army’s central ammunition depot (CAD) at Pulgaon, over 90 km from Nagpur on Tuesday around 7.15 am. Four of the injured, who are being treated at the government hospital in Sawangi, underwent surgery and two are reportedly in a serious condition.

The five deceased casual workers have been identified as Prabhakar Wankhede, 40, Rajkumar Bhovate, 23, Vilas Pachare, 40, Narayan Pachare, 55, and Pravin Munjewar, 25. All were residents of nearby villages. The Khamaria OF staffer killed in the blast was Uday Virasingh, 37. While Bhovate died at the hospital, others succumbed on the spot.

The workers were engaged in destroying a 23 mm Schilka anti-aircraft ammunition, production of which has been stopped since 2014 due to technical issues. “The operation was happening under technical supervision of some Khamaria OF staffers and contract workers were engaged for the job,” sources said.

The state government has announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each for the kin of the deceased and Rs 2 lakh each for those seriously injured.

Those who have sustained minor injuries will get Rs 50,000 each. The announcement was made by state finance minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, who is also the guardian minister of Wardha district where the Pulgaon CAD is located.

The injured workers said soon after the blast, they were left to fend for themselves as no immediate help came from the authorities. They helped each other get into the contractor’s vehicles parked at the site and reach the hospital, which is about 20km from the blast site.