Fire continues to rage in Ammo depot, inquiry ordered

Srinagar, Aug 12 (UNI) Defence authorities have ordered a court of inquiry into the devastating fire at the 21 Field Ordnance Depot at Khandroo in south Kashmir, destroying ammunition worth millions of rupees.

A defence ministry spokesman said the inquiry has been ordered into the incident to ascertain the cause of the fire. However, the investigation will be taken up only after the fire is extinguished and situation becomes normal, he said.

Meanwhile, defence authorities have warned the residents of the area, affected by the incident, not to enter their villages or touch any unexploded shells or suspicious object.

The Army Control Centre, set up at Khandroo, (mobile number 9906737261) or the nearest Army unit or police station should be informed about any suspicious object, they said..

The civilian population of these affected village are also requested not to enter their villages without obtaining clearance from the Army authorities, in view of the unexploded munitions strewn around in the area.

Explosions and fire continued to rage in the 21 Field Ordnance Depot for the second day today as all efforts to bring it under control were not successful.

Three people were killed and more than 50 others wounded in the fire which later triggered explosions in the depot, about 10 km from Anantnag, at 0900 hrs last morning.

However, the spokesman ruled out any sabotage or militant hand in the incident. Two militant outfits-- Jamait-ul-Mujahideen (JuM) and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM)-- had claimed responsibility for the fire.

He said initial information received from one of the injured said the fire may have commenced from the highly combustible white phosphorous ammunition kept in one of the sheds.

The statement in the press about a Rocket attack was ''baseless,'' he asserted.

Loud explosions could still be heard from the area, he said.

Regarding causalities, he said it was very difficult to state how many soldiers, civilians and firemen were killed or wounded.

Defence sources said thousands of bombs, rockets and other explosives were destroyed in the fire. The loss would be in millions of rupees as it was the main ammunition depot in the state, supplying different depots in the forward areas, including Uri, Kargil, Leh, Karnah, Keran and other locations.

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