A welding job on a tractor allegedly carrying blasting material triggered an explosion in Umarkhed taluka, killing two on the spot and injuring five others on Saturday morning.
Two people died on the spot and five others were seriously hurt after a powerful explosion tore through a welding shop in Yavatmal district's Umarkhed taluka on Saturday, according to the Free Press Journal, which cited local reports and visuals from the scene.
The blast happened around 11 am at a shop on Dhanki Road, right opposite the ground where the area's cattle market is usually held. Workers were welding a tractor at the time. The report said the vehicle was reportedly used for blasting-related operations, which is why the job carried unusual risk from the start.
A Loksatta report cited by the Free Press Journal claimed some welders had already turned down the assignment because of that risk, and that the tractor may have had gelatin sticks on board, the kind used in blasting work. One shopkeeper eventually agreed to take on the job. During the welding, investigators suspect a stray spark made contact with explosive material said to be present in the tractor, setting off the blast. A gas cylinder kept nearby is also reported to have gone off during the incident, though which explosion happened first, and what exactly ignited it, hasn't been confirmed by authorities.
The force of the blast was enough that the sound reportedly carried some distance, and it set off panic among residents and shopkeepers nearby. Locals were the first responders, rushing the injured to a hospital close by. Some of those with more serious injuries were later moved to a hospital in Nanded for further treatment, per the report.
A team from Umarkhed Police Station reached the site soon after and carried out a panchnama, the standard procedure for documenting the scene of an unnatural death. An investigation is now underway to establish what triggered the explosion and whether the welding work was carried out with the safety precautions such a job would demand, given what the tractor was allegedly being used for.
At this stage, several details remain unverified. The precise link between the gelatin sticks, the gas cylinder and the spark hasn't been officially established, and police are yet to release a formal account of the sequence of events. The identities of the deceased and the injured have also not been confirmed in available reporting.
What happens next rests with the Umarkhed police probe, which will need to determine whether norms around handling blasting-related vehicles and equipment were followed at the welding shop, and whether anyone bears responsibility for what went wrong.
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