Angry locals, kin of workers block road near blast-hit factory in Nagpur
Nagpur (PTI): Angry locals and relatives of workers blocked a highway near an explosives manufacturing unit in Nagpur district, where a blast claimed nine lives on Sunday, and demanded they be allowed to allowed to enter the premises to see the bodies.
The crowd was later dispersed, police said.
According to sources, the bodies of the victims were still inside the premises, where the blast took place at 9 am.
Nine people were killed and three others injured in the incident, police said.
A number of ambulances were stationed at the entrance gate of the Solar Industries factory, located at Bazaargaon, about 30 km rom the district headquarters.
A tense situation prevailed as nearly 200 people, including local residents and relatives of the workers, gheraoed the factory's entrance gate.
A senior police official told PTI that there were explosives near the spot.
The explosives need to be secured and bomb disposable squads were at the spot, he said.
The process of securing the explosives was underway and thereafter the bodies will be recovered, the official said.
Angry locals and relatives of the victims blocked the Amravati-Nagpur road outside the factory.
They raised slogans in front of the factory's entrance gate and blocked the Amravati-Nagpur highway, demanding that they be allowed to enter the premises to see the bodies of their kin.
The police later dispersed the crowd, an official said.
Heavy police security was deployed in the area.
The father of Aarti Sahare, who is among the deceased, told reporters that he got a message about the death of her daughter at 9.30 am and was still waiting for further information.
The blast also caused severe damage to the factory building, as per police.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in a post on X termed the incident as unfortunate and condoled the death of the nine people.
The state government will provide an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh to the families of the deceased and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has approved the decision, he said.
Fadnavis said nine people, including six women, died in the blast at Solar Industries. It is a company that manufactures drones and explosives for the armed forces, he said.
The state government stands firmly with families of the victims on this sad occasion, he said.
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Bihar: Over 150 children fall ill after consuming 'mid-day meal' in Saharsa
Saharsa (PTI): More than 150 children were taken ill after allegedly consuming food that was part of the mid-day meal in a school in Bihar’s Saharsa district, a senior official said on Thursday.
The incident occurred at a middle school in Baluaha village of the district.
The official said that 115 children were undergoing treatment at the Sadar Hospital, while around 50 students were admitted to Mahishi Public Health Centre.
“We received information that several children fell ill after consuming the mid-day meal in Baluaha. The children were initially treated at the primary health centre, but later, many were referred to the Sadar Hospital,” Saharsa District Magistrate Deepesh Kumar told reporters.
“According to doctors, the health condition of the children has improved, but they will be kept under observation for some time. There is no need to panic. Some kids are having mild fever. They are being treated accordingly,” Kumar said.
Meanwhile, family members of some children claimed that a snake was found in the container in which cooked pulses was stored at the school.
Of the 545 students present in the school, 200 had already eaten their meals by the time the snake was spotted, and later complained of stomach ache and vomiting, they said.
Regarding the claims, the DM said food samples have been collected from the school.
“We will be able to comment on this only after the results of the tested samples arrive,” he said.
