Eight killed in Punjab blast, probe ordered

CHANDIGARH - Eight people were killed Saturday in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district when a powerful explosion tore through a house where firecrackers were being manufactured illegally, police said. A probe has been ordered into the incident.

The blast in Fajjupur village near Dhariwal town, 250 km from here, also injured seven people, including a child, and destroyed three other houses. Police said explosive material was stacked in the illegal factory.

The Punjab government has ordered a probe into the incident.

Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal has directed the state police chief to order an inquiry by inspector general of police (border zone) into this incident. Eight persons were killed and there was a huge property loss, said an official spokesperson of the government.

The government has announced a compensation of Rs.100,000 for the family members of each deceased. Three of the victims killed in the incident were identified as Lajwanti, 65, Kiran Kumari, 20, and Dimple, 35.

The Batala-Dhariwal belt in Punjab’s border district of Gurdaspur is home to many illegal cracker-making units, most of which operate from homes.