LUCKNOW: A day of celebration turned into tragedy at the Bundelkhand Gaurav Mahotsav in Chitrakoot as a powerful explosion ripped through the venue on Wednesday evening, killing four minors and injuring several others. The deceased were identified as Ajneya Mishra (11) Prabhat Patel (10), Paras Sharma (12) and Mohit Kumar (14) all of Chitrakoot.
The incident occurred during preparations for the scheduled fireworks display.Bombs reportedly kept behind the stage for the show detonated unexpectedly, leaving a massive five-foot-deep crater and chaos in its wake.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased and initiated immediate relief measures. He announced immediate financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured.
On the CM’s instructions, a committee headed by an ADG has been constituted to delve into the cause of the explosion and identify any responsible parties.
Besides, Jhansi police have registered an FIR against a Mumbai-based company entrusted with the fireworks display, citing negligence and safety protocol violations.
Chitrakoot superintendent of police Arun Singh said that the blast took place at 3.10 pm and its impact could be heard from a kilometre away from the venue.
District magistrate Abhishek Anand said that the causes of the blast were being examined by the experts.
“The entire programme was being organised by the tourism department,” said the officer. The dog squad and teams of the fire department were summoned. Soon after the blast, the event was cancelled.
The FIR lodged by police sub-inspector Ashutosh Tiwari states that initial investigations point towards the private company employees failing to handle the eventuality appropriately, contributing to the blast. They also allegedly disregarded essential safety protocols for fireworks displays.
Additional Director General of police, Prayagraj Zone, Bhanu Bhaskar, personally visited the spot of crime and instructed for a probe by a team of forensic experts as well as the fire department into the reasons leading to the incident. “Nobody found guilty will be spared,” he said.
The incident occurred during preparations for the scheduled fireworks display.Bombs reportedly kept behind the stage for the show detonated unexpectedly, leaving a massive five-foot-deep crater and chaos in its wake.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased and initiated immediate relief measures. He announced immediate financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured.
On the CM’s instructions, a committee headed by an ADG has been constituted to delve into the cause of the explosion and identify any responsible parties.
Besides, Jhansi police have registered an FIR against a Mumbai-based company entrusted with the fireworks display, citing negligence and safety protocol violations.
Chitrakoot superintendent of police Arun Singh said that the blast took place at 3.10 pm and its impact could be heard from a kilometre away from the venue.
District magistrate Abhishek Anand said that the causes of the blast were being examined by the experts.
“The entire programme was being organised by the tourism department,” said the officer. The dog squad and teams of the fire department were summoned. Soon after the blast, the event was cancelled.
The FIR lodged by police sub-inspector Ashutosh Tiwari states that initial investigations point towards the private company employees failing to handle the eventuality appropriately, contributing to the blast. They also allegedly disregarded essential safety protocols for fireworks displays.
Additional Director General of police, Prayagraj Zone, Bhanu Bhaskar, personally visited the spot of crime and instructed for a probe by a team of forensic experts as well as the fire department into the reasons leading to the incident. “Nobody found guilty will be spared,” he said.