HYDERABAD, 26 November 2003 — At least seven people were killed and five others injured in an explosion at detonators factory in the southern Andhra Pradesh state yesterday.
The blast occurred at Indian Detonators Ltd. on the outskirts of the state capital.
At least 10 workers were killed when the building collapsed on them, said Mahinder Reddy, police commissioner of Cyberabad. At least 13 people were working in the factory at the time of the explosion. Seven bodies were immediately recovered from the debris.
Reddy said the explosion in Kukatpally, a suburb of Hyderabad, could have been caused by a short circuit. Police and company officials have begun investigations.
Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, who visited the accident spot in the evening, ordered a judicial inquiry into the incident and announced immediate payment of 100,000 rupees each to the families of the killed workers.
Naidu said initial investigations found that the factory management did not take adequate safety precautions. He said that the location of the factory in a densely populated area posed a safety hazard.
