Jamuria: At least four workers were injured after a powerful furnace explosion at a private sponge iron factory in the Sekhpur area of the Jamuria industrial belt on Friday night.The blast occurred between 8.40 pm and 9 pm while employees were on duty inside the plant. The sudden explosion triggered widespread panic inside the facility, prompting nearby workers to rush to the site and pull the victims out of the debris. All four injured were immediately evacuated and shifted to two separate private hospitals for emergency treatment.Neighbours reported that the shockwaves were intense enough to develop visible structural cracks in several houses located as far as 1 km to 2 km away from the factory site. Locals quickly rushed to the plant to assist in the initial rescue operations.Upon receiving the alert, Jamuria MLA Bijan Mukherjee, accompanied by a large contingent of police personnel and a fire engine, arrived at the spot to oversee the rescue mission.Pranav Kumar, the Commissioner of Police for the Asansol-Durgapur Police Commissionerate, visited the site around 3 pm on Saturday to assess the situation.Local police said an inquiry committee was constituted to probe the incident. Additionally, the forensic department has been directed to examine the blast site.
