The cold storage accident that took place in Chandapur of Phaphamau area of Prayagraj, UP has raised many questions – after all, whose negligence was it, which took the lives of four laborers and forced many others to hang between life and death?
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Cold storage collapsed due to ammonia gas pipe burst. – Photo: Amar Ujala.
How did the explosion happen?
Suddenly a massive explosion occurred in the cold storage of SP leader and former minister Ansar Ahmed located on Prayagraj-Lucknow Highway. According to initial information, the entire building collapsed in a moment due to the explosion of the ammonia gas tank. The explosion was so massive that the people nearby got scared and there was chaos in the entire area.
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NDRF team engaged in rescue work after the cold storage collapse. – Photo: Amar Ujala.
Workers buried under debris, painful scene
At the time of the accident, more than one and a half dozen workers were present in the cold storage. After the blast everyone got buried under the debris. The rescue teams pulled out the workers after much effort. So far, the death of four laborers has been confirmed, while the condition of six is said to be very serious. All the deceased laborers are said to be from Saharsa district of Bihar, one of whom has been identified as Jyotish.
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Debris is being removed with JCB. – Photo: Amar Ujala.
Whose cold storage is it?
This cold storage is said to be of Samajwadi Party leader and former minister Ansar Ahmed. After the accident, the police have detained many members of his family and started questioning them. Now the focus of the investigation is whether there was negligence in safety standards?
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NDRF team taking out the injured buried under the debris and taking them to the hospital. – Photo: Amar Ujala.
Agencies engaged in relief and rescue
After the accident, all the ambulances of the district were deployed on the spot. NDRF and SDRF teams were continuously engaged in the rescue operation. The buried people were searched for by removing debris from more than a dozen JCB machines. There were also difficulties in the rescue work due to gas leakage. The injured were immediately admitted to SRN Hospital. Many senior officials including District Magistrate Manish Kumar Verma and Police Commissioner Jogendra Kumar were present on the occasion.
