Five persons including two children, have lost their lives in a fire sparked by firecrackers in Garhwa district, Jharkhand, east India.
The incident happened Monday at about 11:30am local time in a market shop storing firecrackers. The fire began suddenly, triggering an explosion that closed the shop’s shutter and trapped the victims inside, preventing their escape. The owner of the shop Kush Kumar Gupta who was also killed, ran a grocery and firecracker shop, with two warehouses located behind it.
Locals rushed to the scene but despite efforts to douse the flames with buckets and water tankers, the fire quickly spread. In a desperate rescue attempt, people broke through a wall to reach the trapped victims, but all five had already succumbed to suffocation.
Among the victims, Ayush and Piyush were brothers who had gone to the shop to buy firecrackers.
Ajit Kumar Kesari, a resident of Nauka village, and Sushila Kerketta, who worked at the shop, were also present at the time of the incident.
By the time the fire brigade arrived, the shop had been reduced to ashes, and a motorcycle parked outside was also destroyed.
District officials and personnel from Ranka police station reached the scene to assess the situation.
Jharkhand Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar and Chief Minister Hemant Soren expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy.
The Governor called the incident “heart-wrenching” and extended condolences to the families of the victims. Chief Minister Hemant Soren also expressed grief and offered prayers for the departed souls and strength for the grieving families. The district administration is investigating the incident. With agency reports
