Six die in blast at granite quarry

Six died in an explosion at a granite quarry in the border district of Chamarajanagar in Karnataka early yesterday morning.

Police said all the victims were quarry workers, who were killed when they were sleeping in their shed at the quarry at Kothalawadi village, about 35 kms from Chamarajanagar. “They were sleeping in their shed when the explosives stored for blasting the rocks went off accidentally”, said Superintendent of Chamarajanagar district police Srikantappa.

Out of the six workers, who were sleeping in the shed, five of them died on the spot while one person, who was severely injured, died at the Government hospital in Chamarajanagar a few hours later.

The bodies of the victims were found strewn all around the shed due to the impact of the blast. Post mortem of the bodies will have to be conducted at the site of the blast..

Police said two others, who were sleeping in an adjacent shed, escaped with minor injuries.

Senior police officials including Srikantappa, who visited the spot, suspected the blast to have taken place on account of one of the victims throwing the butt of a lit cigarette or a bidi. Attributing the mishap to lack of proper precautionary measures at the quarry, he said the jurisdictional sub inspector of police will be held responsible for the explosion.

Though the contractor, who had taken the land on lease for granite quarrying hailed from Bellary district in Karnataka, police said all the victims were from Chamarajanagar district.

Meanwhile, the Tahsildar of Chamarajanagar taluk and his driver sufferred injuries when the Jeep in which they were proceeding to the site of the blast turned turtle en-route. They too had to be admitted to the hospital in Chamarajanagar.