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17 Dead After India’s Largest Ammunition Depot Catches Fire

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At least 17 soldiers were killed and 19 others injured in India Tuesday after a fire broke out at the country’s largest ammunition depot, which is also the second-largest in Asia.

The blaze at the army depot in Pulgaon — a town in the western state of Maharashtra about 430 miles east of Mumbai — began at 1.30 a.m. local time, according to Indian broadcaster NDTV. Sources told the news channel that several officers died while rushing toward the fire to prevent the ammunition from exploding.

The fire was finally brought under control soon after 6 a.m. by teams of firefighters. The cause of the disaster is not yet known.

[NDTV]

 

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Write to Rishi Iyengar at rishi.iyengar@timeasia.com