6 Reported Dead After Blast At India's Space Center

6 Reported Dead After Blast At India's Space Center

POSTED: 11:34 am EST February 23, 2004

MADRAS, India -- An explosion set off a fire today at India's main
space center, killing at least six people, police said.

Flames erupted at the solid propellant plant at the government's
Dhawan Space Center, on Sriharikota Island just off India's
southeastern coast, the center's spokesman, K. Ravindran, told The
Associated Press.

Six people have died in the fire, according to police officials in the
Nellore district in coastal Andhra Pradesh state. Ravindran did not
immediately confirm the casualty figure.

"Some people have been hurt. We don't know the extent of their
injuries. They are under medical supervision now," Ravindran said.

The cause of the explosion was not immediately known.

The space center is the main launch base of the Indian Space Research
Organization and has been used to launch several Indian, German,
Korean and Belgian satellites.

The center processes solid propellants used in satellites, conducts
ground tests and has launchpads for rockets.

India has looked increasingly into space in recent years, and top
officials have vowed to put an Indian astronaut on the moon.

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