Shop owner goes on the run after his explosives trigger blast that killed 90

Police in India are hunting for the owner of illegally stored explosives which blew up part of a busy town centre, killing 90 people. Rajendra Kaswa has been charged with illegally storing gelatine sticks and urea, a common fertiliser, in a shop next to a restaurant and busy junction in Petlawad, central India. Senior police official and the divisional commissioner Sanjay Dubey said: “He is on the run. One of his accomplices has already been arrested. He has been charged under the Explosives Act.”

It looks like someone had stored those explosives, the ones used in mining, in one of the buildings. But only further investigation will reveal the exact details

Senior district police official Seema Alava

Police initially thought the accident was triggered by an exploding gas cylinder in the restaurant, which then detonated the explosives next door. But officers now believe it originated in the warehouse next to the restaurant where Kaswa stored explosive materials and chemicals. At least 88 people were killed and 100 were injured as the multi-storey restaurant and adjacent buildings collapsed, sending debris hurtling into the streets during the morning rush hour. The chief minister of Madhya Pradesh state arrived at the scene on Sunday where his convoy was blocked by angry locals waving black flags. They say they have previously complained about the location of the explosives but authorities failed to act.