8 killed, many injured in fire cracker mishap

October 20, 2016

Madurai, Oct 20: Eight people at a scan centre in Sivakasi, including patients, died of suffocation after a fire broke out at a nearby fireworks shop on Thursday afternoon.sivakasi

Around 1.30pm, workers at Raghavendra Agency on the Sivakasi - Virudhunagar road were unloading fireworks from a minivan. According to police sources at the Sivakasi East Police station, the fireworks exploded when a bundle fell on the ground. Sensing danger, workers and shop owners took to their heels.

Upon hearing the noise, the scan centre workers and patients rushed to the first floor of the building and locked themselves in a room. As fireworks went on bursting, the smoke filled the room.

Fire and rescue services personnel from Sivakasi, Srivilliputhur, Virudhunagar and Sattur rushed to the spot and carried out rescue measures.

"Since the entry to the scan centre was near the fireworks shop, people could not run away as crackers were bursting. They preferred to stay inside the scan centre and died of suffocation. We broke open the rear windows and pulled out 41 people to safety. Unfortunately eight of them died of suffocation," a fire department official said.

Hospital sources at Sivakasi Centre of Excellence to Treat Burn Injuries said none of the people suffered burn injuries. The deaths were caused by suffocation.

Among the eight dead, four people are employees of the scan centre.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the fireworks exploded due to mishandling of crackers bundles while loading. Police detained a few workers of the fireworks shop for interrogation.

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Agencies
August 9,2020

Vijayawada, Aug 9: The number of those killed in the fire at a hotel being used as a COVID-19 facility in Vijayawada rose to 10 on Sunday, said Vikrant Patil, Deputy Commissioner of Police.

Meanwhile, the Andhra Pradesh government announced Rs 50 lakh ex-gratia each to the families of those who lost their lives in the incident.

According to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister's Office (CMO), Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy also ordered an in-depth probe into the accident and directed authorities to take steps to ensure better medical services to the victims of the accident.

"The hotel was taken on lease and run by Ramesh Hospitals, a private hospital where COVID-19 patients were being treated. 40 patients and 10 medical staff were at the hotel at the time of the incident. 

Officials were directed to launch immediate rescue measures," said Mekathoti Sucharitha, Andhra Pradesh Home Minister Prime Minister Narendra Modi also condoled the loss of the lives in the fire mishap and spoke to Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy over the phone and enquired about the accident.

The mishap took place in hotel Swarna Palace which was taken on lease and run by a private hospital for COVID patients.

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News Network
February 20,2020

Nagpur, Feb 19: The Central Bureau of Investigation said that it has arrested a former employee of Union Carbide Bhopal, who was absconding since 2016.

A senior CBI official said on Wednesday that the agency sleuths arrested S I Qureshi from Maharashtra’s Nagpur on Tuesday, who was convicted by a local court here in connection with the Bhopal gas tragedy case.

The official further said that he had been absconding since 2016.

He added that the convict would be produced in a district court.

On December 3, 1984, forty tonnes of methyl isocyanate leaked from the Union Carbide pesticide factory and settled over slums in Bhopal

A Bhopal court convicted eight people in 2010 to two years each in jail over the gas plant leak that killed thousands of people.

The eight convicted included the Chairman of the Indian arm of the Union Carbide (UCIL) Keshub Mahindra, Managing Director V P Gokhale, Vice-president Kishore Kamdar, Works Manager J Mukund, Production manager S P Chowdhury, Plant superintendent K V Shetty and Production Assistant Qureshi.

The CBI had taken over the Bhopal gas tragedy case on December 12, 1984.

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Agencies
April 5,2020

Nagpur, Apr 5: A 23-year-old man allegedly committed suicide in Imambada area in Nagpur on Saturday due to financial distress, police said.

Nikhil Gavhane, who worked in a grocery shop, hanged himself as he had taken money from a person and was stressed over repayment, an official said.

"He was depressed since a week," the Imambada police station official said.

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