Around 10,000 rounds of ammunition destroyed, inquiry ordered

Around 10,000 rounds of ammunition destroyed, inquiry ordered
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

BHARATPUR, APRIL 29: About 8,000 to 10,000 rounds of ammunition used in small arms, tanks and long range artillery shells were destroyed in the devastating fire that broke out in the Army depot here even as a court of inquiry was ordered on Saturday to ascertain the cause of the disaster.

The fire claimed three civilian lives and an equal number were injured even as villagers within 10 kms radius had to be evacuated, Army sources said. The casualties were due to injuries caused by sharpnels.

The Army ordered a court of inquiry headed by a Major General to go into the cause of the fire, the sources said adding around 8,000 to 10,000 rounds of ammunition have been destroyed.

The sources said the surface-to-air missiles and anti-tank missiles which formed a part of the armoury, were safe.

Though fire has been contained, three out of 20 ammunition storing sheds were still smoldering with shells going off occasionally, Army sources said.

Fifteen fire tenders were still struggling to extinguish the fire completely even 21 hours after it broke out.

The exact cause of the fire was not yet known but it is suspected to have been triggered by short circuit in the high tension wire fencing and assumed devastating proportion due to high velocity wind and heat, the sources said. Defence Minister George Fernandes, who cut short his visit to Jammu and Kashmir, held a high-level meeting in New Delhi to take stock of the situation.

Deafening sounds were still heard at regular intervals inside the precincts of the depot which was completely sealed by the Army authorities. People who fled from Anipur, Bawayen, Munwada, Mandawani, Kunjoli, Girdharpur, Kasauda and other villages surrounding the depot after the blast started returning on Saturday morning.

Rail and road traffic which was suspended after the fire broke out, resumed in the wee hours after railway authorities accompanied by Army officials checked the route.