5 dead, 3 injured in massive fire at Bahraich rice mill

LUCKNOW: At least five workers lost their lives and three others sustained critical injuries after a massive fire broke out at a rice mill in Bahraich on Friday morning.
The incident occurred at the Rajgarhia Food Factory, located in Mohalla Gulam Alipura, under the jurisdiction of the Dargah police station.

According to police, the blaze was triggered by an explosion in a grain dryer, which followed a fire that broke out during welding work.
Eight workers were rushed to the district hospital, where five were declared dead on arrival. The remaining three are currently receiving treatment and are in critical condition.
Chief Medical Superintendent Dr. M.M. Tripathi confirmed the number of casualties.
The deceased were identified as Ghaffar Ali (40), Babloo (28), and Rajnesh Kumar (35) from Kannauj, Zahoor (50) from Sirsia, Shravasti and Bittu Shah (30) from Madhepura, Bihar,
District magistrate Monica Rani, superintendent of police Ramnayan Singh, and other senior officials visited the hospital and met the injured.
Surendra Sharma, one of the injured workers, told officials that the explosion occurred when a spark from welding work on a broken metal angle landed on a pile of paddy, igniting a fire that led to a blast. The factory was quickly filled with thick smoke, causing many workers to suffocate.
Authorities are investigating the incident and assessing safety lapses.