The Hindu : Front Page : Four young men killed in explosion

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Friday, Sep 01, 2006

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Four young men killed in explosion

Staff Reporter

The victims may be quarry workers, say police

INVESTIGATION: The Forensic Science Laboratory team at the accident site at Naraganahalli, near Bangalore, on Thursday. — Photo: Sampath Kumar

BANGALORE: Four persons were killed in an explosion at a temporary shed in which explosive substances were stored illegally, in Devanahalli police station limits in Bangalore Rural district.

The incident is said to have taken place late on Wednesday night or in the early hours of Thursday. It came to light around 8.30 a.m. on Thursday and the police reached the spot an hour later.

The police said the victims could be quarry workers and that the explosion could have occurred while they were preparing gelatine sticks in a crude manner using sulphur, phosphorous and other chemicals. Three bags containing chemicals have been seized from the spot.

The explosion occurred at the shed built on an agricultural land in Naraganahalli village on Chikkajala-Devanahalli Road, around 40 km from Bangalore.

The land belonged to Venkataramanappa, a quarry owner from neighbouring Kempathimmanahalli. He would have probably hired the workers to prepare gelatine sticks and to carry out explosions at quarries, the police said. "Since Venkataramanappa is at large, we are unable to get the details from him," the police said. On the basis of a voter identity card found at the scene, the police identified two of the deceased as Kupendran of Gudiatham in Tamil Nadu and Narayan Swamy Shetty (45) of Hoskote in Bangalore Rural district. Narayan Swamy Shetty was suspected to be the accused. The identity of two others, suspected to be from Tamil Nadu, is not known. The local people said that the four had been staying at the new shed for the past one month. Two bodies were charred beyond recognition and the other two blown into pieces. The police had a tough time keeping away crows and stray dogs.

Reduced to rubble

The shed, built of hollow cement bricks and asbestos sheets, was reduced to rubble. Household articles, clothes and a bicycle were destroyed in the explosion. Experts from Forensic Science Laboratory, Bangalore, collected samples from the accident site for examination. The Devanahalli police have registered a case under the Explosives Act and a case of negligence leading to death against Venkataramanappa.

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