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Seven killed in IDL blast in Hyderabad

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD NOV. 25. A blast ripped through the fuse-wire manufacturing unit of Indian Detonators Limited (IDL) today killing seven workers and injuring eight at Kukatpally here. While five died on the spot, two were declared dead at the Gandhi Hospital.

The huge concrete structure of the Detonator Fuse (DF) wire manufacturing Unit-2 crumbled in the blast, reasons for which are not yet known.

The Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, who visited the factory, announced an ex-gratia of Rs. 1 lakh each to the families of the victims and ordered a judicial inquiry into the incident.

Mr. Naidu directed the Ranga Reddy District Collector to negotiate with the IDL management to get `maximum compensation' for the victims' families `within two days.' He appealed to the factory management to come forward liberally to provide relief.

Addressing a group of agitated workers, the Chief Minister announced that the judicial probe would also cover their allegations of negligence on the part of the management.

Even as the IDL officials were persuading those at the blast site not to use mobile phones and cameras, as signals from the instruments could trigger off a blast, a couple of broken cellphones, purportedly used by the workers, were recovered. Another phone was found ringing beside a worker's body.

"Use of cellphones inside the unit could be one of the reasons for the blast," said a worker.

The explosion occurred at 3.25 p.m. Out of 15 workers, three were absent. Though some casual labourers were said to be on duty, it was not confirmed.

"I was having lunch in my house at Moosapet, a kilometre away from the factory, when the asbestos roof shook heavily. Initially, I thought the cooking gas cylinder in my house went off," said a former IDL employee.

While the seriously injured person, Ramesh, was shifted to the Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences, seven others were admitted to a private hospital.

Six workers standing outside the unit were also injured in the blast.

The manufacturing process in DF-2 comprises five stages — spinning, extruding, crushing, reeling and packaging. "It is not known at which stage the blast occurred," said some workers. Examination of the bodies suggested that while some died of the explosion, others were buried in the rubble.

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