6 killed, 50 injured in blaze at firecrackers unit in MP's Harda town
Harda/Bhopal, Feb 6: Six persons were killed and 50 others injured after an explosion leading to a blaze in a firecrackers factory in Harda town of Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said.
A number of people were also feared trapped in and around the unit, an official said.
Some videos of the incident surfaced on social media showing the fire with intermittent explosions taking place at the site and people running to save themselves.
Six persons were killed and 50 others injured after an explosion followed by a fire at the crackers unit, CM Yadav said.
The chief minister spoke to the officials concerned and sought details of the incident, an official said.
The CM also directed minister Uday Pratap Singh, Additional Chief Secretary Ajit Kesari and Director General Home Guard Arvind Kumar to rush to Harda by a helicopter.
Burn units at hospitals in Indore, Bhopal and the AIIMS in the state capital were directed to make necessary arrangements for any emergency, an official said.
Fire brigades were also rushed from Indore and Bhopal to tackle the blaze.
The chief minister has also called a meeting in connection with the incident, the official added.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Iran foreign minister Araghchi meets Pakistan Army chief Munir
Islamabad (PTI): Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Saturday met Pakistan Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir here, as Islamabad continued its efforts to facilitate engagement between the US and Iran.
The meeting, according to a short video posted by the Iranian embassy on social media, was also attended by Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei, and Iran's ambassador Reza Amiri Moghadam.
Araghchi calls on Munir, the embassy said in the video caption.
It did not provide further details about the discussions.
Araghchi arrived here late Friday for engagements with the Pakistani leadership. He was received by senior officials, including Munir, foreign minister Ishaq Dar and interior minister Mohsin Naqvi.
ALSO READ: Fire engulfs over 100 jhuggies in Delhi's Shakur Basti; no casualties
However, there is no clarity on whether direct talks between Washington and Tehran will take place during the visit.
"No meeting is planned to take place between Iran and the US. Iran's observations would be conveyed to Pakistan," Baqaei said in a social media post on Saturday.
Araghchi, before leaving for Islamabad, said that he was embarking on a timely tour of Islamabad, Muscat, and Moscow, and the purpose of his visits is to "closely coordinate with our partners on bilateral matters and consult on regional developments".
"Our neighbours are our priority," he said.
As the Iranian team landed in Islamabad, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that US Special Envoy on the Middle East Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's adviser Jared Kushner would be leaving for Pakistan on Saturday "to engage in direct talks" with representatives of the Iranian delegation.
However, the US team has not yet arrived.
Meanwhile, Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Dar, in a social media post, expressed hope for "meaningful engagements" between the two warring parties to promote regional peace and stability.
The first round of US-Iran talks held on April 11 and 12 failed to produce a breakthrough, prompting a flurry of diplomatic efforts by host Pakistan to cool tensions and revive hopes for another round of dialogue.
On Tuesday, Trump extended the two-week ceasefire with Iran indefinitely to give Tehran more time to prepare a unified proposal to end the war, just hours before the truce was set to expire.
The Iran war began on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes.
_vb_19.jpeg)
