Indian police hunt man who stored explosives next to restaurant destroyed by deadly blast

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A woman is consoled during the funeral of her father who died in the bast in central Madhya Pradesh state. Photo: Reuters

Published: 7:19pm, 13 Sep 2015

Police in central India were Sunday hunting a man blamed for a massive explosion at a restaurant that killed 90 people, as angry residents accused local authorities of ignoring complaints that explosives had been illegally stored in an adjacent building.

The explosion, one of the worst such accidents in recent years, on Saturday morning tore through the restaurant building complex in central Madhya Pradesh state, packed with office workers and school children having breakfast.

Scores of labourers waiting at a bus stand outside the complex were also hit with shooting debris from the blast in the town of Petlawad.

The state’s top elected official, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, had to face about 50 angry protesters when he visited the site of the explosions. The protesters, shouting slogans and waving black flags, forced Chouhan to step out of his car and listen to their complaints against local authorities for failing to enforce safety regulations.

Police initially thought the accident was triggered by an exploding gas cylinder in the restaurant, but officers now believe it originated in the warehouse next door. Photo: AP

Police officer Kamlesh Bamaniya said the protesters were also angry that Petlawad police had failed to arrest Rajendra Kashawa, a contractor who was accused of illegally storing the detonators.