Three killed in granite quarry blast in Srikakulam

Visakhapatnam: Three persons were killed in a blast at a private granite quarry near Dabbaguda village of Meliaputti mandal in Srikakulam district on Friday. The deceased were identified as S Rama Rao (52), B Appa Rao alias Appanna (38) from Tekkali in Srikakulam district and K Armugan (48), a native of Tamil Nadu and resident of Tekkali.Though the exact reason for the blast is yet to be ascertained, the police suspect that mishandling of gelatin sticks and detonators (explosive materials) may have led to the blast. Family members of the deceased have alleged that the quarry management tried to mislead the cops and suppress the incident by claiming that the men died due to lightening strike. They said that the management had shifted the bodies from the spot before the police arrived. The families of the deceased staged protest demanding that the authorities took stringent action against the management in this regard.The Srikakulam district administration formed a committee to enquire and ascertain the exact reasons for the blast in the quarry. The committee comprising officials from revenue, police, mines, fire service, and few other departments visited the quarry. The authorities assured strict action against people responsible for the accident.Moreover, the district administration ordered for an audit check on all the quarries across the district on Saturday. The police, led by inspector of Pathapatnam Rama Rao, shifted the bodies to a govt hospital for autopsy.Leaders and activists of the various trade unions demanded proper compensation for the kin of the deceased.