Duttapukur blast
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| Date | 27 August 2023 |
|---|---|
| Time | approx 08:00 IST |
| Location | Mochpol village, North 24 Parganas, west Bengal, India[1] |
| Coordinates | 22°44′09″N 88°26′47″E / 22.7358°N 88.4464°E |
| Type | Fireworks disaster |
| Deaths | 9[2] |
| Non-fatal injuries | 12[3] |
An explosion took place on 27 August 2023 at a firecracker factory at Mochpol village under Duttapukur police station, 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) from Barasat.[1][4] The factory was on the second floor of a two-storey building, where the explosion and a major fire took place. No exact information was available on how many people were working in the factory at the time of the explosion. The explosion killed 9 people, and injured 12 others.[3]
After the incident, the West Bengal Police started a preliminary investigation. Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee instructed the Chief Secretary of West Bengal on 28 August 2023 to deal with the situation.[5] On behalf of the West Bengal Police were suspended Shubharata Ghosh, IC of Duttapukur, and Himadri Dogra, OC of Nilganj outpost,[6] for dereliction of duty.[5]
According to the local residents, Ajibar Rahman was the owner of this illegal firecracker factory of Mochpol village. He built this factory in a rented house from Shamsul Ali. The business was run by local resident Keramat Ali, who previously run a firecracker factory in Neem Pukuria area. After the 2023 Purba Medinipur blast, police moved to crack down on illegal firecracker factories across the West Bengal, when Keramat was arrested because his firecracker factory at Neem Pukuria did not have a license after 2021. After getting bail, he again started a betting factory in Mochpol village of Duttapukur.[7]
Explosion
According to eyewitnesses, there was a massive explosion in the factory. The first explosion occurred around 8:30 am (local time).[8] The two-storied building collapsed in the blast including the factory. The roof of the factory was torn off by the force of the blast, and the second floor was completely destroyed.[9] Buildings around the factory were damaged.[10]
The entire area was practically turned into rubble as a result of the blast. Factory workers get burnt, and body parts fell on the roofs and yards of neighboring houses a few hundred meters away from the factory.[9][11]