Among the five dead so far in the explosion at a house where a firecracker manufacturing unit was running in Alampur village in Bihar's Siwan district is the house owner, Amiruddin Ahmad, along with his three grandchildren, including two minors, police said on Saturday morning.
70-year-old Amiruddin was in the business of firecracker sales and manufacturing for many decades, and the police are now probing whether he was running the unit with valid papers.
Apart from the house owner, those who died were identified as his granddaughter Muskan Siddiqui (20), Khusboo Siddiqui (10), grandson Arshad Siddiqui (8) and Rajkumar alias Bhola (35), Siwan Superintendent of Police Bharat Soni said. Police said Amiruddin's son Marham Azad is alive, as he was not present in the house at the time of the explosion at around 5.30 pm on Friday. Azad's wife has also survived.
The SP further said that based on the assessment by the medical team, the Civil Surgeon has confirmed that five dead bodies have been recovered.
"There is still confirmation of five deaths, including Amiruddin Ahmad, who was running the firecracker unit in his two-storey house. We are still clearing the debris," said the SP.
A Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team has arrived at the scene; the fire has been completely extinguished, and a thorough search of the entire house and blast site is underway. After the postmortem of all deceased, their bodies were handed over to the next of kin.
“A Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) team is present on the site, and drones have been deployed to survey the area,” added the SP.
Locals claim another child in the debris
Locals claimed that another child, Muskan, is buried in the debris, but there is yet to be any confirmation. According to the claims, the girl is said to be the daughter of one Azad Sheikh.
Efforts are being made to clear the debris and search for the child. Police said it is the administration's priority to determine whether any other person is trapped in the debris.
District Magistrate Vijay Prakash Meena stated that the administration is taking charge of removing the debris and carrying out relief work at the site. Sources said police have also started a massive search of the area by cordoning off the house and nearby field.
" We have started an intensive search for any illegal explosive material being kept inside houses or fields in the area," said a senior official of the administration.
Probe on
The DM Siwan had also said that the administration was probing whether Amiruddin, who had been running the firecracker unit for more than 20 years, had a valid license to manufacture crackers or was operating the unit illegally.
Locals have said Amiruddin was in the firecracker sale trade for decades and used to store crackers inside his house despite objections from the villagers.
The explosion in the two-storey house on Friday evening was so intense that neighbouring houses too suffered damage, while the body parts of some of the deceased were flung outside onto the road, as per locals.