On January 21, 2017, a similar blast took place in the factory in which one worker had died while three others were injured
Gurdaspur: Just a day after the blast at the firecracker factory in Punjab's Gurdaspur, police have said that the firecracker factory was running illegaly. Inspector-general of police (Amritsar Range) SPS Parmar said that the factory’s license had already expired in 2016. Now a new revelation that has come up with respect to the same factory. On January 21, 2017, a similar blast took place in the factory. That blast had killed one worker and injured three others in the incident.
According to sources, buildings in the 200-metre radius were damaged while vehicles in the area were destroyed in the blast. Raids were conducted by the administration after the 2017 blast, but no action was taken.
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The blast at the supposed illegal firecracker factory has left at least 23 people dead, and the death toll is expected to rise as several labourers continue to remain buried under the debris.
The intensity of the blast was such that three to four buildings situated near the factory collapsed. Window panes of buildings that were up to 1 km away were smashed. Apart from buildings, a car and a bike were also destroyed. The firecracker factory where the explosion happened was a three-storeyed building.
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