Delhi blast: Shopkeepers recall chaos as Lajpat Rai Market reopens, say recovery will take time
New Delhi (PTI): Shopkeepers at Lajpat Rai Market, which reopened on Saturday after remaining shut since the blast near the Red Fort earlier this week, said it may take several days for business and footfall to return to normal.
Most shops had their shutters down after the explosion near the Red Fort on Monday, which killed 13 people and triggered heavy security restrictions in the area.
Rakesh Kumar, who runs an electronics shop in the market, said he had reached the spot barely minutes before the incident.
"I came here only two years ago, and that evening I was standing outside when three blasts happened. The first one sounded like a normal CNG cylinder burst, the kind we hear sometimes. But the second was so loud that it felt like the ground had split," he said.
He recalled seeing a fireball after the third blast. "It looked like the sun had suddenly risen outside. It must have been around 6.50 pm. At that moment, nearly a thousand people were inside the market," he said.
Kumar said the first reaction among the people nearby was one of pure confusion.
"Somebody said a vehicle had caught fire, so people didn't panic instantly. But then the police quickly blocked the route and asked everyone to move. If they had not managed the crowd, there could have been a stampede with so many people around," he said.
According to him, the first ambulance arrived within 15 minutes of the explosion. "Police were already present in small numbers, but they handled the situation well," he added.
For many traders, the reopening of the market has brought a mix of relief and uncertainty.
"It will take time for things to become normal," said Rajinder Singh, who owns a lighting shop, adding that tourists won't come until the fear settles, and that even customers from Delhi are hesitant.
Several shopkeepers said orders placed for the wedding season were either cancelled or postponed.
"People are scared. Some clients shifted their functions to January or February. There is business loss, but more than that, there is nervousness among traders," Singh said.
With markets around the Red Fort slowly reopening, traders said they were hopeful that normal footfall would return once security agencies complete their investigation and the heat of the incident subsides.
"We just want things to calm down. The market is open today, but the fear will take time to go away," Kumar added.
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Virudhunagar firecracker unit blast: Toll climbs to 25, Rs 5.5 lakh ex gratia announced
Virudhunagar (Tamil Nadu) (PTI): With most bodies charred beyond recognition, identification remains difficult, police said on Monday, as the toll in the massive explosion at a fireworks unit near Kattanarpatti here rose to 25.
The Virudhunagar district administration has announced Rs 5.5 lakh ex gratia to the kin of deceased.
The accident is one of the deadliest industrial disasters in the region in recent years.
"Bodies were so badly charred that we were able to identify mostly with jewellery that the victims were wearing," a police official told PTI.
He said that the families have not yet claimed the bodies due to the uncertainly in the identities.
The factory owner is absconding, he added.
The accident occurred at the Vanaja firecracker unit, owned by one Muthumanickam, which functions under the Vachakarapatti police station limits.
The unit is reportedly licensed by the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO), Nagpur.
Post-mortem reports have established that the 25 victims, include 22 women and three men, the police official added.
Eight workers, mostly women, are critically injured with 60 per cent burn injuries. Twelve others, including eight policemen, were injured in a second blast on Sunday evening while rescue operations were underway.
Rescue operations were severely hampered for hours, as unexploded materials continued to detonate.
A second blast at 7.20 pm, triggered as an earthmover was clearing debris, caused chaos and injured several responders, including a revenue official.
Meanwhile, sources said about 1,000 people, including the families of the victims and residents of nearby villages, are threatening a road roko, demanding the arrest of the owner of the factory.
Local eyewitnesses, including Ranganathan from the nearby Seervaikarampatti village, described hearing a massive blast that sent "thick black smoke" into the sky.
"Nothing was recognisable. We saw bodies being loaded four at a time into vehicles," he told PTI Videos.
Many of the deceased were from Seervaikarampatti village, with residents claiming that at least 20 victims belonged to their village.
Among those killed was 46-year-old Indrani, a veteran worker of 25 years.
"My mother was the sole breadwinner. My father is disabled and stays home. I have an MSc degree, but I’m working at a petrol bunk to help out, and we haven't even paid my brother's school fees yet," said Madhubala, Indrani’s daughter, while pleading for government employment assistance.
Virudhunagar Collector N O Sukhaputra confirmed that the unit was operating without permission on a rest day.
Preliminary findings suggest the blast originated in a chemical mixing shed, where nearly 40 workers were busy making crackers, a violation of safety norms that typically limit occupancy to four workers per shed.
"Had these workers followed primary safety norms, the casualties could have been minimal," a senior official stated.
Chief Minister M K Stalin has ordered a high-level probe and directed ministers to oversee relief efforts.
The tragedy follows a similar accident in Vembakottai just days earlier, which claimed four lives, intensifying calls for stricter enforcement of safety regulations in the district’s firecracker hub.
The explosion occurred at approximately 3.15 pm on Sunday. Although the fireworks industry is officially shut on Sundays, over 100 workers were reportedly engaged in production.
Later in the day, Sukhaputra said Rs 5.5 lakh ex gratia each has been finalised for the families of 25 persons killed in the explosion.
Speaking to PTI Videos, he said the ex gratia cheques are ready for immediate distribution to the legal heirs.
"Out of 25 deaths, we have finished conducting post-mortems on 22 bodies. Already we have cheques (that) are ready,” Sukhaputra said.
The announcement followed intense demands from grieving relatives for financial security and government employment.
