At least three labourers were killed and a dozen others injured when an explosion in a chimney at a brick kiln near Basirhat, in North 24-Parganas, caused it to collapse on Wednesday night.
The accident at Dudhtita village in Itinda occurred around 8.15pm when labourers were trying to light a fire in the chimney, police said.
The impact of the blast was so strong that the 60m-high chimney collapsed instantly on the labourers. Residents of the area rushed in to rescue the labourers trapped under the debris.
The workers were taken to Basirhat State General Hospital, where three of them were declared dead.
Two of the dead labourers have been identified as Hafizul Mondal, 35, and Rakesh Kumar, 39, a resident of Uttar Pradesh. The identity of the third victim could not be ascertained till late on Wednesday.
Hospital sources said the condition of at least five labourers was critical.
The superintendent of the Basirhat police district, Joby Thomas K., said, “We have so far brought out eight labourers from under the debris of the chimney. Three of them died on the spot.”