Two More Bodies Recovered in CAD Fire, Death Toll Reaches 18

The fire occurred in the early hours of yesterday in one of the sheds that housed "highly sensitive ammunition" in the high security Central Ammunition Depot, spread over 7,000 acres. Credit: PTI

Pulgaon: Two more bodies were recovered today from the site of the fire at the Central Ammunition Depot (CAD) in Pulgaon, Wardha district, taking the death toll to 18.

Three persons were counted missing since yesterday. Two bodies had been recovered and one person was still missing, sources told PTI. The bodies recovered today were yet to be identified, they said.

A massive fire broke out  in the early hours yesterday at CAD in one of the sheds that housed "highly sensitive ammunition". Spread over 7,000 acres, CAD is one of Asia's biggest ammunition depots and  houses the largest stockpile of weapons in the country.

"In efforts to douse the fire, two officers and 14 personnel (including one Army jawan and 13 civilian fire fighting staff) lost their lives and two officers and 15 personnel (including nine Army Jawans and six civilian fire fighting staff) were injured," Director General of Military Operations Lt. Gen. Ranbir Singh had said.

Loud explosions were heard one after the other as the raging fire lit up the night sky.

The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained and the army has instituted an inquiry into the incident, Singh had said.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had said there was no sabotage involved in the fire at the ammunition depot but the exact cause would be known only after inquiry.

Parrikar, along with Army chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag, visited CAD yesterday and met the injured persons in a local hospital.

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