Two killed in Uttarakhand factory blast

Kotdwar, Jan 9 (PTI) Two labourers were killed and three others were injured after an explosion occurred in a factory in Uttarakhand's Pauri Garhwal district, the police said Wednesday.A gas cutter be

Kotdwar, Jan 9 (PTI) Two labourers were killed and three others were injured after an explosion occurred in a factory in Uttarakhand’s Pauri Garhwal district, the police said Wednesday.

A gas cutter being used to cut a steel box exploded at PL Steel Pvt Ltd in Kotdwar tehsil’s Jashodharpur industrial area on Tuesday evening, Station House Officer, Kotdwar Police Station, Manoj Raturi said.

The two labourers died on the spot and three others who were standing near the gas cutter sustained severe injuries, he added.

The deceased were identified as 27-year-old Afroz from Araria in Bihar and 24-year-old Rani Singh from Bijnor in Uttar Pradesh, Raturi said.

The injured were admitted to a hospital in the nearby town of Najibabad, he added.

Further investigation is underway to ascertain whether a lapse on part of the factory owners led to the blast, the SHO said.

This is published unedited from the PTI feed.