• Source:JND
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Five migrant laborers died, and 27 others were injured in an explosion at a firecracker manufacturing unit in Singhewala village, located in Punjab’s Muktsar district, in the early hours of Thursday. Rescue operations are underway, and the injured have been admitted to hospitals. The explosion occurred at a two-storey factory situated on Singhawali-Kotli Road.

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"Late last night, a blast occurred at a firecracker factory. Almost 50 labourers work in the factory. Four bodies have been recovered and 27 injured have been admitted to the hospital," said Jaspal Singh, deputy superintendent of police (DSP), Lambi.

SSP of Sri Muktsar Sahib, Akhil Chaudhary says, "Four people died when the building collapsed following the explosion. Rescue operations are underway and the injured have been admitted to the hospital."

 The industrial unit housed both manufacturing and packaging operations within a large hall. While the exact cause of the blast is still under investigation, initial findings suggest that it may have been triggered by potash used in the firecracker production process. Many of the laborers, mostly from Uttar Pradesh, were asleep inside the unit when the explosion suddenly occurred, causing the structure to collapse. They had no time to react.

The injured were taken to various hospitals, with most initially treated at the Civil Hospital in Muktsar. Some of the critically injured were later transferred to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Bathinda.

Muktsar Senior Superintendent of Police, Akhil Chaudhary, stated that police received information about the incident around 3 a.m. involving a firecracker manufacturing unit in Singhewala village.

Police immediately launched a rescue operation and managed to pull several laborers from beneath the debris. Five workers have been confirmed dead, while nearly two dozen others were injured and have been hospitalised. Forensic experts have been called in to investigate the incident, and an FIR is being registered against those responsible for the blast and for failing to follow safety protocols, said Senior Superintendent of Police Akhil Chaudhary. He added that further investigations are ongoing.

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Muktsar Deputy Commissioner Abhijit Kaplish stated that the manufacturing unit had not been granted permission under the Explosives Rules, 2008. Although the owners had submitted an application, approvals from various departments were still pending, and as a result, no official clearance had been issued.