Tragedy struck a quiet village road in Canning, South 24 Parganas, when a chemical drum detonated, leaving four schoolboys with grievous burn injuries. The blast, which happened during evening playtime, has ignited outrage over lax safety during road maintenance works.
Details emerged of the horrifying event: four minors—Sadikul Mollah, Samiul Mollah, Raihan Mollah, and Riyaz Hasan Mollah—were frolicking near a construction site. A drum packed with 200 liters of LDO, part of the road repair materials, exploded without warning. The force hurled flames at the children, charring their bodies severely.
In a heart-wrenching moment, one boy, unable to bear the agony, leaped into an adjacent pond. Bystanders sprang into action, extinguishing the fire and ferrying the injured to Nalmuri Rural Hospital. Three were later airlifted to MR Bangur Hospital in Kolkata due to worsening health; Sadikul’s life hangs in the balance.
The site—a rough 7-km stretch from Ghatakpukur to Madhyakhargachi—has been under patchwork for days. Police and fire experts, led by DC Saikat Ghosh and MLA Saikat Molla, descended on the location. ‘We’re probing the ignition source,’ a top officer stated. ‘Bomb disposal and investigation units are on ground zero.’
Villagers point fingers at negligence: ‘Why leave volatile chemicals exposed where kids play?’ This preventable mishap calls for accountability. As families pray by hospital bedsides, Bengal’s rural infrastructure projects face renewed scrutiny. Enhanced safety norms aren’t optional—they’re lifesavers.