Bhopal, Oct 22 (IANS ) At least two persons died and over a dozen received severe injuries in a massive explosion at the ordinance factory in Jabalpur district of Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday, officials said.
Police have confirmed two deaths so far, however, the number of casualties may rise as the condition of half a dozen people injured was critical and they were recuperating at different hospitals in Jabalpur.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav also expressed his condolences over the loss of lives due to the blast at the factory.
Without mentioning the specific number of casualties, CM Yadav said he was informed that "many precious lives were lost due to the explosion".
In an official statement, the Chief Minister said he has directed Jabalpur district administration and police to provide all possible help to the injured persons.
"I express my condolences to the factory workers who died untimely in the accident. Providing better treatment to the injured in this tragic incident is our priority," he added.
The deceased were identified as Alexander Toppo, a factory worker who died instantly, while another one Ranveer Kumar, who had been placed on life support, later succumbed to his injuries at a hospital.
According to police officials, the blast occurred in building number 200 of the factory's F-6 section.
The factory, a unit under the Department of Defence Production, manufactures arms and ammunition for the Indian Armed Forces.
Among the injured are S.K. Mandal, Umesh Maurya, Kumar Gaurav, Ramji, Sunil Kumar, Krishna Pal, Praveen Dutta, Chandan Kumar and Shyam Thakur.
Reports citing factory General Manager M.N. Haldar indicate the blast occurred due to a hydraulic system failure during the disassembling of a 30 to 40-year-old Russian-made Pechora air missile, a process routinely conducted at the factory.
Jabalpur District Collector Abhay Verma and Superintendent of Police Aditya Pratap along with other senior officials were present at the spot and an investigation into the matter was underway.
Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.
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