Blast near Maha ordnance depot kills 6

Wardha: At least six people were killed and ten others injured when an explosion took place near an ordnance depot in Maharashtra's Wardha district on Tuesday while ammunition was being unloaded, officials said.

The blast took place between 7.10 am, and 7.15 am at the explosive demolition ground near the Central Ammunition Depot (CAD) at Pulgaon town, a Defence official said.

Around 10 to 15 contract labourers were at the site when the explosion occurred, Wardha's Additional Superintendent of Police Nikhil Pingle said.

"The blast took place in one of the ammunition boxes while unloading the ammunition. The incident took place in the open land," he said.

While four people were killed on the spot, two others succumbed to injuries in hospital, Inspector General of Police (Nagpur Range) K M M Prasanna said.

The ground near the CAD was given to the Ordnance Factory, Khamaria (in Madhya Pradesh) for demolition activities, the Defence official said.

"The demolition was being carried out by the staff of the Ordnance Factory, Khamaria, with the help of an authorised contractor. Contractual services are used for digging a pit and placing a sandbag over the explosive," he said.

The deceased included a staff member of the Khamaria- based ordnance factory and labourers.

The ten injured were admitted to a hospital in the nearby Savangi village, Prasanna said.

One of them was in a critical condition while three others received severe injuries, he said, six others were out of danger.

Officials from the ordnance factories at Chandrapur in Maharashtra and Khamaria rushed to the spot to ascertain the cause of the accident, the Defence official said.

In 2016, 16 people were killed in a blast at the ammunition depot at Pulgaon.