Kolkata, February 18 One of the three children injured in a drum explosion during road repair work in the Bhangar area of South 24 Parganas district remains in critical condition, police said on Wednesday.
The incident occurred on the Khargachi-Chandpur stretch, where road repair work is underway from Ghatakpukur to Madhya Khargachi, covering approximately seven kilometers.
According to the boy's family, he has suffered 95% burns.
A drum containing around 200 litres of light diesel oil (LDO) had been lying on the roadside. Four schoolchildren, aged between 8 and 10 years, were playing nearby when the drum suddenly exploded on Tuesday. Three of them sustained injuries in the blast.
Locals took them to a nearby rural hospital. As their condition deteriorated, they were transferred to MR Bangur Hospital in Kolkata for better treatment, where all three have been admitted to the ICU of the burn ward, hospital sources said.
Bhangar MLA Saukat Molla and state minister Aroop Biswas visited the injured children and their families and assured them of all assistance.
Police have launched an investigation to determine how the drum was left unattended at an active worksite and whether safety norms were violated.
