The burning firecracker godown in Attibele
Credit: Special Arrangement
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar late on Saturday night announced Rs 5 lakh compensation for each of the families of the victims who were killed in the Attibele firecracker godown fire.
At least 13 people were said to be killed at the Shree Balaji Traders, a wholesale firecracker dealer located less than 500 metres from the Attibele border checkpost in the southern outskirts of Bengaluru.
“We have information that as many as 19 workers were at the godown,” Shivakumar told reporters. “One person has been arrested, he is also receiving treatment. The other six injured are at the hospital. The bodies of 12 people have been recovered. It is suspected that there may be some others on the other side.”
Shivakumar visited the spot late at night and took stock of the situation.
“The bodies are yet to be identified, but we were told by the locals that those inside the building were mainly from Tamil Nadu. Our officials told us that the permission was only for the shop and not the godown. A detailed inquiry will be held on whether there was permission and if all the security measures were followed,” the DyCM said.
He added that given Deepavali, the police officers have been instructed to take precautionary measures regarding the observance of fire hazard control rules in firecracker shops and godowns across the state.
The incident occurred around 3:30 pm on Saturday while workers unloaded firecrackers from a lorry and two mini-goods vehicles into Shree Balaji Traders. The firecrackers had been transported from Tamil Nadu's fireworks hub of Sivakasi ahead of Deepavali.
While the exact cause of the blaze remains unclear, a senior official in the Fire and Emergency Services Department suspected that firecrackers stocked in the three vehicles came in contact with a high-tension overhead electric line.
Apart from rescue workers, forensic experts and scene of crime officers.