Death count rises to 2 in Kanpur Ordnance Factory explosion

The death count in the nitrogen cylinder explosion at Kanpur ordnance factory rose to two on Wednesday, officials said. SHO of Armapur police station Ajit Verma said M P Mahto, an examiner, had succumbed to his injuries at a private hospital.

S Rajput, assistant engineer, was killed, and eight others sustained serious injuries when a nitrogen cylinder exploded at the ordnance factory on Tuesday, Verma said.

The ordnance factory's general manager Mukul Kumar Garg said the light field gun (LFG) was being tested under the supervision of engineers and examiners at the testing wing of the factory when a nitrogen cylinder attached to the barrel of the gun went off, killing the assistant engineer on the spot, while Mahto succumbed to his injuries on Wednesday.

"An inquiry has been constituted to ascertain the cause of the explosion and suggest remedial measures," Garg said and added that a detailed report about the incident would be sent to the Defence Ministry.

Ordnance Factory Kanpur is a production powerhouse having ultra modern facilities for the manufacture of Large Caliber Ordnance and Ammunition Hardware under one roof. Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) is one of the Largest Producer of Large Caliber Barrels in the world.