HYDERABAD, 24 February 2004 — Six people were killed and three seriously injured in an explosion yesterday in India’s Sriharikota Space Research Center off the eastern coast.
According to district police officers, the accident happened when a rocket motor being tested caught fire and exploded while being filled with highly inflammable fuel at the Solid Propellant Space Booster Plant.
Two of the injured were taken to a hospital in Madras, 120 km south of here.
“The cause of the accident is being investigated. The mishap occurred around 3 p.m. We were informed about the accident two hours later, “ a district police officer said by telephone.
Police identified four of the dead as Krishna Reddy, Bashir Ahmed, Pandit and G. Srinivasulu. Two of the injured were identified as Sachin and Krishna Prasad.
The space center is the main launch base of the Indian Space Research Organization and has been used to launch several Indian, German, Korean and Belgian satellites.
The center processes solid propellants used in satellites, conducts ground tests and has launch pads for rockets. India has looked increasingly into space in recent years, and top officials have vowed to put an Indian astronaut on the moon.
