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Powerful blast rips through Meerut market [Meerut] [Times of India](Times of India Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Meerut: A powerful blast at about 1.30 am on Friday ripped through shops at the Durga Complex at P L Sharma Road, leaving at least a dozen shops charred. Window panes of nearby houses lay shattered and the boundary wall of an adjacent plot collapsed in the impact of the blast. There were no casualties, as the blast occurred at a time when the market was deserted. One person sustained 80% burn injuries, and is under treatment at Delhi. Twisted metal, large holes in the walls, burnt computers and furniture was evidence of the potency of the substance that blasted. The shop owned by Brajesh Singh Rana took the maximum impact. "Prince Electronics, my shop, was the one most affected in the blast. Everything was gutted, and my loss is about Rs 40 lakh," Rana said. Although the blast went off on the ground floor, shops on the first floor too were charred. Mayank Parashar, owner of a coaching institute that ran from the second floor, said, "Windows and doors have all broken, the furniture is a mess." The vibration from the blast was felt a kilometre away. Puneet Sharma, resident of Begum Bagh, said, "We felt a mild earthquake. It was Diwali night, and we thought someone had ignited an unusually powerful cracker." Police have been cautious in commenting on the incident. Alok Sharma, IG Meerut zone, said, "We cannot say what might have caused the blast. Quite likely, some inflammable substance was present in the complex, and it caught fire. We have to wait for the chemical report, before commenting on the matter. The wall caved in, but my inspection of the area showed that the wall was not strong enough to withstand even a mild impact. It was poorly constructed." Asked if this was a possible terrorist strike, the police chief said, "I don't think it was a terrorist activity. Terrorists generally target crowded areas. Not closed markets in the middle of the night." Chief fire officer IS Soni said, "We received a panic call at 1.30 am, and rushed to the spot with fire tenders. The ground floor was an inferno. We acted swiftly and saved five people from the first floor. One man, Pawan Kumar, was severely burnt. His condition was serious, he was later shifted to Delhi." Pawan manages a shot called Kashish Photostat in the complex. Top police brass arrived at the site of the blast on Friday morning. Forensic experts and the bomb disposal squad also reached the site. Police have ruled out the possibility of a gas cylinder bursting or a compressor going off, as reasons for the blast, after preliminary investigations. CCTV footage showed a man in a white shirt in front of the complex just before the blast. That man was not visible afterwards. SSP Onkar Singh said, "It is too early to arrive at any conclusion. There is however no doubt that it was indeed a powerful blast." A senior intelligence official said, on condition of anonymity, "A special team of explosives experts will arrive in Meerut to examine the blast site." (c) 2014 Bennett, Coleman & Company Limited |