Two children among five dead in Firozabad factory explosion, 11 hospitalised
Firozabad (UP) (PTI): Five persons, including two children and a woman, were killed due to an explosion at a firecracker godown-cum-factory in Uttar Pradesh's Firozabad district that caused damage to nearby houses, a police official said on Tuesday.
Eleven persons sustained injuries in the blast, which happened in the factory located in the Naushera area under Shikohabad police station limits on Monday night, they said.
Local residents also said that around one dozen houses were damaged due to the blast, and roofs of some of the houses have also been damaged.
"Five persons including two children were killed in the explosion, which had taken place in a firecracker godown-cum-factory. Eleven persons were injured in the incident," Circle Officer Shikohabad Praveen Tiwari told PTI.
According to local residents, around 10.30 pm, there was a sudden blast in the firecracker godown due to which the walls of the building collapsed and about seven people got buried under the debris.
Meera Devi (45), Aman Kushwaha (17), Gautam Kushwaha (16) and Kumari Ichha (4) and Abhinaye (2) died in the incident. The two kids are siblings, the officer said, adding that they were identified based on information obtained from the district hospital.
The bodies of the deceased were handed over to their kin after post-mortem, officials said.
Family members of the deceased, initially said that they will not carry out the last rites until the government gives them money to rebuild the houses.
However, the families agreed to holding the funerals after speaking to District Magistrate Ramesh Ranjan and SSP Saurabh Dixit, who visited the the spot, Tiwari said.
The process of convincing the family members is underway, he said.
Shikohabad's MLA Mukesh Verma, who was also present on the spot, said that the DM spoke to the Chief Minister's Office regarding compensation. He got an assurance that Rs 4 lakhs will be given to the kin of each deceased, after which the family agreed to perform the last rites, Verma said.
The MLA also said that he has requested the DM to arrange a 100-yard plot for those whose homes have been destroyed in the blast.
The state government said that UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has taken cognisance of the accident.
The chief minister has directed the district administration officials to provide proper treatment to the injured, and issued instructions to district administration officials to expedite relief work, it said.
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Stalin claims DMK secured 1.54 crore votes
Chennai (PTI): DMK president M K Stalin on Tuesday, in a veiled reference to the TVK, claimed that the party that won additional constituencies has gained only 17.43 lakh more votes than the DMK.
He was referring to the April 23 Assembly polls where the DMK and its allies secured 74 seats, with the Dravidian party netting 59 constituencies.
In a statement, Stalin said, "the percentage difference in votes between us and them is just 3.52 per cent," in an apparent reference to the Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kahzagam emerged victorious in the polls, the results of which were announced on Monday.
Claiming that the DMK alliance has secured 1.54 crore votes, Stalin said, "I consider each and every one of your votes as an invaluable token of trust".
Stating that DMK has been in power several times, he said "there is no victory we have not seen and there is no defeat we have not faced".
"Whether in victory or defeat, those who regard them equally and continue their journey toward their ideals are the comrades of the party", he said adding "you are the lifeblood and roots of the movement".
"The harvest of 1.54 crore votes is the fruit of your commitment", he said.
"What return can I offer for your hard work? With the feeling of being the chief worker, we will continue our journey," the DMK chief added.
Stalin said "if we are the ruling party, we will formulate schemes for the people. If we are the opposition party, we will fight for the people's demands. In that regard, now as a strong opposition party, we will continue to work for the people".
Asserting that the DMK will continue the journey of taking forward the policies of the century-old great Dravidian movement, protecting race, language, and nation, the DMK leader said "in our journey, I will not leave anyone behind. We will win again".
