APD | 18 Indians die in Sudan

By APD writer Rishika Chauhan

Around 18 Indians are feared dead in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan as a gas tanker exploded at a ceramic factory on Wednesday.

In total 23 people have died in the blast, that occured when a liquified petroleum gas (LPG) tanker exploded while a shipment was being unloaded at Seela Ceramics Factory.

Around 60 Indians were working in the factory, of them 53 were present in and around the factory when the mishap took place.

The Indian embassy in Khartoum said in a statement, that the suspected number of Indians who died in the blast was 18, however the number, “so far not confirmed officially”.

It added that, “Some of the missing may be in the list of dead which we are still to receive (from Sudanese authorities) as identification is not possible because of the bodies being burnt”.

S Jaishankar, the External Affairs minister tweeted, “Some Indian workers have lost their lives while some others have been seriously injured.” The workers who died belonged to the provinces of Delhi, Bihar, Haryana, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu in India.

According to reports there were many inflamable materials present in the factory that were improperly stored which made the fire spread. All those present in the factory during the explosion have reportedly died.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)