The death toll in the Batala firecracker factory blast rose to 23, even as authorities were undertaking rescue operations in Gurdaspur. Several have been injured in the fire incident. Seeing the intensity of the incident, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh ordered a magisterial enquiry into the incident and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for severely injured who were referred to Amritsar Medical College and Rs 25,000 for those with minor injuries.
