Ghaziabad: Twenty five rockets, including some live ones, and three rocket launchers were found in the scrap at a local steel factory whose two top officials were today (Oct 1, 2004) arrested on charges of negligence in connection with yesterday's blast that killed 10 labourers and injured 15.

The 105 tonne scrap, packed in three trucks, according to factory officials, had come from Iran via Kandla port in Gujarat, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Meerut, Chandrika Rai told.

The explosives were found in the first consignment of the scrap which was being unloaded at the factory in the Sahibabad industrial area in Uttar Pradesh bordering New Delhi last evening when the explosion occurred.

General manager of the Bhushan Steel Company V S Verma and assistant general manager Ompal Singh have been arrested on charges of negligence, police said.

Police said no Iranian marks were found on the bombs, which were defused by the bomb disposal squad, or the rocket launchers. Forensic experts from Delhi and Agra have been called to inspect them.

The scrap which came in containers through the sea route landed at Kandla port and then at Tughlaqabad depot in the capital from where it was transported in trucks to the factory, they said.

Additional Judicial Magistrate Chandra Prakash Pandey has started a probe into the incident while police was investigating a transporter from Muzaffarnagar district whose trucks were used to carry the scrap.

District administration has order an interim-relief of Rs 10,000 to families of those killed in the blast.

While eight workers died on the spot in the blast, two succumbed in hospital where the condition of two injured was critical.