Worker killed, another injured in DRDO lab fire in Pune

A contract worker was killed in a fire while handling explosive material at the High Energy Material Research Laboratory (HEMRL) in the city’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) at Pashan.

Police sources said that another worker suffered grievous injuries in the fire which occurred on Tuesday.

The deceased had been identified as Laxmikant Sonawane, 26, a resident of Pune’s Warje area and the injured as Yogesh Kirtikar.

According to officials at the Hinjewadi police station, the workers were taking samples of some explosive material when one such substance blew up, causing a blaze. Further investigations were on, said a senior police official.

HEMRL director K.P.S. Murthy said that all safety measures were adhered to at the time of the accident. “A high-level DRDO committee will investigate the causes of the accident and come up with a report,” he said.