Nine-Year-Old Dies After Bhangar Chemical Drum Explosion

Overview

• Police said the February 17 blast occurred in Madhya Kharigachi, Bhangar, as four children were playing by the roadside.
• Three children were critically injured, first treated at a primary health centre and then shifted to MR Bangur Hospital in Kolkata as their condition worsened.
• Hospital sources identified the deceased as Sadikul Ahmed, who died around 5:55 a.m.; the two other injured children are reported stable.
• Family members and local residents alleged a roughly 200-litre drum used for road work and containing fuel or chemicals was left unsecured in a densely populated area, a claim not confirmed by authorities.
• Local officials, including the Bhangar police division’s deputy commissioner and an area MLA, visited after the incident and helped arrange hospital admissions, according to reports.