spacetoday.net: Fire kills six at Indian space center

Posted: Mon, Feb 23, 2004, 2:29 PM ET (1929 GMT)
A solid rocket motor caught fire at India's main space center on Monday, triggering an explosion that killed at least six people. According to reports, technicians were preparing to move a motor from the building at the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota where it was manufactured when the motor caught fire for reasons not yet known. Six people were killed in the resulting explosion, with at least three other people seriously injured. Rescuers believe a number of people may still be trapped in the debris of the building. The accident is the worst in the history of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), which is planning a "high-level" investigation into the accident. The accident is not believed to pose any near-term disruptions to India's launch plans, as the motor in question was to be used for test purposes and not on a launch vehicle. The accident comes just six months after a small solid-propellant launch vehicle exploded at the Alcantara spaceport in Brazil, killing 21.