Situation in Khandroo limping back to normal, BDS start work

Srinagar, Aug 15 (UNI) The situation is limping back to normal in Khandroo, where 40 per cent ammunition shed of 21 Field Ordinance Depot (FOD) were destroyed in a devastating fire on Saturday last leaving 18 persons dead while three are still missing.

A defence ministry spokesman said the situation is Khandroo in south Kashmir was under control now. Providentially, both casualties and structural damage have been significantly less than initially assessed, he added.

He said the Bomb Disposal Squads (BDS) airlifted from different commands across the country have already started work to detect and defuse the unexploded shells.

He said clearance operation on roads leading to villages and other areas have already been started.

A senior Army officer recently said that 100 BDS will undertake the work to defuse the shells on roads, orchards, houses and other areas in the affected villages.

He said that villagers would be allowed to enter the villages only after all the unexploded shells would be defused which could take seven to ten days.

A spokesman said there were 18 fatal casualties, including a Major, 15 firefighters and two civilian labourers inside the depot.

Three others, including a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) are missing and 16 others were injured. A woman was also killed when she entered her village and touched a shell.

He said keeping in mind the sentiments of families of deceased firefighters, the Army undertook the retrieval of bodies from within the ammunition dump on August 13 itself without waiting for 48 hours, the minimum period required to wait after the last blast before the area is declared safe.

He said some relatives of the deceased also accompanied the Army personnel to retrieve the bodies. Fortunately, there was no blast and all the bodies were recovered, However, after recovering the 13 bodies, another blast did occur, he said.

The Chief Of the Army Staff (COAS) has announced an ex-gratia relief of Rs one lakh only for all civilians who died during the tragedy while grievously injured will be paid Rs 50,000.

UNI