BEMETARA,CG: The army personnel on Monday suggested taking additional steps to protect other materials. The explosives stored in balance storages protected by traverses do not pose a threat of explosion at village Borsi, Bemetara district, Chhattisgarh.

On Saturday, at least one person reportedly died while another six workers were injured in a factory blast in Special Blast Limited in the village of Borsi in Bemetara district, around 8.00 am on Saturday, some 80 kilometres from Raipur. The factory makes detonators and explosives for civil use.

The army officials said that the portion of Pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) from the produce of May 24 left out be kept submerged in water. Drenching the bulk store house with water to put off simmering fire. The Concentrated Nitric Acid leading out of 3-4 containers is drenched with a heavy volume of water.

It is further said that the area be kept out of bounds for all, less people carrying out above action. No operation and removal of explosives are permitted to visit and inspection is carried out by Petroleum and Explosive Safety Organisation (PESO). Strict crowd control measures and cordoning of the area be done.

On requisition by Ranbir Sharma, District Collector, Bemetara on May 25, a team from Central Ordnance Depot (COD) Jabalpur headed by Maj Jaideep along with one JCO and two ammunition experts arrived on Sunday.

The team interacted with civil administration, representatives of the factory, PESO representative, NDRF and CRP. They  conducted a site visit of different storage facilities housing explosives. The epicenter of the blast site was also visited to ascertain the explosive involved and probable causes.

Blast site is of the company ‘Special Blasts Ltd’. It produces Industrial Explosives and is spread over 100 acre of land with different storage facilities for Cordex, PETN, Ammonium Nitrate. It also manufactures slurry explosives, bulk emulsion, water gel explosives, detonating fuses and others for industrial use.