At least seven people, including women, were killed and several others sustained injuries after an explosion at a firecracker factory in West Bengal’s Duttapukur in North 24 Parganas district on Sunday. The injured were rushed to a hospital in nearby Barasat in critical condition. Authorities feared the death toll could further increase given the condition of some of the injured.

According to media reports, some locals claimed that they witnessed at least 12 bodies being taken away in ambulances. However, there was no official confirmation of this claim.

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The intensity of the explosion was so high that it damaged some of the nearby buildings. The roof of the two-storey house, from where the factory was being run illegally, was blown off completely.

After the blast, some locals started protesting against the police as they accused the illegal factory was being run from the house with the backing from the local police. They said several complaints were given to the police about the illegal fireworks factory but no action was taken.

Failure of Bengal government: Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary

The incident triggered sharp criticism of Mamata Banerjee-led Bengal government by Opposition parties with Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary terming it a failure of state government.

“The amount in which the explosives are found it is clear that the Bengal government has given the permission to use explosives wherever one wants. Traders in Explosives are given complete freedom to run their business. This has resulted in a series of deaths and blasts. This shows a failure of the Bengal government,” Chowdhary said.

BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari also slammed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and said that her work is only to hold meetings with Imams and play communal card.

‘Not only this factory, but the entire state has such an atmosphere. Chief Minister (Mamata Banerjee) had said that these illegal factories would be closed, but she is busy protecting the thieves. Her work is to hold meetings with Imams in the state and to play the communal card,” he said.

This was the third such incident in less than five months. Earlier on May 16, as many as nine people had died in a similar blast at an illegal firecracker factory at Egra in East Midnapore district.  In another such incident, a huge explosion had taken place in a fireworks factory at Budge Budge in South 24 Parganas district.