6 Ind killed in Sudan blast identified, 33 safe: MEA

Six of the Indian workers who were killed in a massive blast at a ceramic factory in the Sudanese capital Khartoum have been identified, while 33 Ind are reported safe, the government said on Friday.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said that six of the Ind killed in the blast on December 3 have been identified.

Meanwhile, the Indian Embassy has listed 15 Ind as "missing or unidentified" and one from Bihar as "confirmed dead". It has listed seven as admitted in hospital.

Kumar said there were 58 workers in the ceramic factory, 'Saloomi' in the Bahri area of Khartoum, at the time of the LPG tanker blast.

Thirty-three Ind who were in the factory at the time are safe.

The Indian Embassy in Khartoum is working closely with the local government and the Indian Ambassador has visited the Ind there, and the families of those killed and injured, Kumar said.

The Indian mission is trying to repatriate the bodies early, he added.

Of the 33 Ind who are safe, and have been accommodated at the Saloomi factory residence, 13 hail from Tamil Nadu, two are from Bihar, seven from UP, two from Madhya Pradesh, two from Delhi, two from Haryana, two from Rajasthan, and one each from Andhra Pradesh and Assam.

While two from Tamil Nadu are hospitalised, three from the state are missing, three from Bihar are missing and one is listed as "confirmed dead", four from UP are listed as missing and one hospitalised, two from Haryana are missing and one in hospital, one from Rajasthan is missing while three are in hospital, and one each from Delhi and Gujarat are listed as missing, according to the Indian Embassy.

Sudanese Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok, in a statement, had condoled the deaths and said that preliminary reports indicate the absence of necessary safety tools.

"The random storage of flammable materials contributed to the continuation and expansion of the fire and the destruction of the factory completely," he said.

He said the Council of Ministers will form a committee "to determine the responsibilities and avoid the recurrence of such unfortunate incidents in the future".

( With inputs from IANS )