24 February 2004	Tuesday	03 Muharram 1425

BANGALORE, Feb 23: A fire ripped through India's main space centre on Monday but it was unclear if anyone was killed in the blaze. Site managers said six people were dead but senior space officials denied there had been any fatalities.

Madhavan Nair, chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), told reporters in Bangalore that a fire broke out while a propellant was being tested.

"The propellant ... caught fire and caused severe damage to the building in which the operations were going on. Three persons have been admitted to hospital with severe burn injuries," Mr Nair said.

S.K. Das, ISRO spokesman, told the same press conference that three people were still trapped in the solid propellant space booster plant at the Satish Dhawan station in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh state.

"The workers are trying to get into the building. They have cordoned off the entire area and trying to clear the debris, but have not managed to enter," said Mr Das. He denied that there were any deaths and added that the blast occurred at 4pm (1030 GMT). Officials at the site reached by telephone, however, insisted six people had died and 10 were injured. -AFP