Most victims of Sudan fire tragedy belonged to Tamil Nadu, Bihar: Indian Embassy
Khartoum: Most of the Indian victims hospitalised or reported missing after the massive LPG tanker blast at a ceramics factory in Sudan belonged to Tamil Nadu and Bihar states while authorities are trying to ascertain the details about the 18 Indians killed in the tragedy.
The Indian Embassy has issued a detailed list of the Indians who were hospitalised, went missing or survived the incident that happened at Seela Ceramic Factory in Bahri area in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on Tuesday, killing 23 people and injuring 130 others.
Eighteen Indians were among those who lost their lives in the tragedy. No information is currently available on their identities. Seven Indians have been hospitalised, with four in critical condition and 16 reported missing.
Six victims belonged to Tamil Nadu, five from Bihar, four each from Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, two from Haryana and one each from Delhi and Gujarat.
Out of those hospitalised, Jai Kumar, Bobalan and Mohd. Saleem are from Tamil Nadu; Ravinder Singh and Surender Kumar hail from Rajasthan; Neeraj Kumar from Bihar and Sonu Prasad from Uttar Pradesh.
Out of those reported missing, three are from Tamil Nadu- Rama Krishan, Raj Shekhar and VenkataChalem-, four from Bihar- Ram Kumar, Amit Tiwari, Hari Nath and Nitish Kumar Mishra-, three from Uttar Pradesh- Zeshan Khan, Mohit and Pradeep Verama-, two from Rajasthan- Bhajan Lal and Jaideep, two from Haryana-Pawan and Pradeep-, one Intezar Khan from Delhi and Bahadur from Gujarat.
"Some of the missing may be in the list of dead which we are still to receive as identification is not possible because of the bodies being burnt," the Indian Embassy said in a release on Wednesday.
Expressing grief at the incident, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said 60 Indians were employed in the factory and 53 of them were understood to be present at the factory and residential area at the time of the accident.
"Sadly, we have reports of fatalities among Indian workers and we are trying to ascertain the numbers," he said.
The injured have been admitted at Al-Amal Hospital, Omdurman Teaching Hospital and Ibrahim Malik Hospital.
He said the Indian Embassy in Khartoum is in constant touch with the factory management and the embassy staff has been stationed at the site as well.
"We are working with the Sudanese authorities to facilitate the identification of the deceased at the earliest," he said.
A total of 34 Indians who survived have been accommodated at the Saloomi Ceramics Factory residence. According to a statement issued by the Sudanese government, the blast in a gas tanker triggered the fire.
"Preliminary observations indicate a lack of necessary safety measures and equipment at the factory, in addition to random storage of flammable materials," it said.
An investigation has been launched, it added.
Meanwhile, Sudanese Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok, now on a visit to the US, expressed his condolences for the victims and said that preliminary reports indicate the absence of necessary safety tools.
"The random storage of flammable materials contributed to the continuation and expansion of the fire and the destruction of the factory completely," he said in a statement from Washington.
"The Council of Ministers will form a committee of inquiry to determine the responsibilities and avoid the recurrence of such unfortunate incidents in the future," he was quoted as saying by Sudan Tribune portal.
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Momo seller dies by suicide in Jalpaiguri after name omitted from voters’ list
Jalpaiguri (WB): A momo vendor in West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri town died by suicide on Tuesday, with family members alleging that he had been distressed after his name was removed from the electoral rolls following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
According to IANS the deceased is identified as Gouranga De, who lived in a rented house with his wife and their son, under Ward 11. Police discovered the body on Tuesday morning and sent it for post-mortem.
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According to his family, De had been casting his vote for nearly four decades and they said his name did not appear in the 2002 voter list. De was subsequently called for a hearing during the recent revision process. Family members stated that he submitted the documents and information available with him at the time.
After the final electoral roll was published on February 27, De’s name was found to have been omitted, with “deleted” marked against it. His relatives and neighbours said he had been anxious since learning about the removal.
His landlord said De repeatedly expressed concern about what would happen to him after his name was struck off the list. “He was worried ever since his name was removed. He kept asking what would happen to him. The body was recovered this morning and now what will happen to this family?” he said.
De’s wife told local reporters that he did not have parents or grandparents and was therefore unable to furnish additional supporting details beyond the documents he had already submitted during the SIR hearing. She said the omission left him deeply upset.
Chairman of Jalpaiguri Municipality, Saikat Chatterjee, visited the family after receiving information about the incident, terming it unfortunate and called for accountability.. He was quoted by The News Minute as saying that De had approached him after finding his name missing from the list. Chatterjee had assisted him in submitting Form 6 online.
(Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on the state’s health helpline 104, Tele-MANAS 14416.)
