Eight killed in explosion at firecrackers unit in Andhra

The incident occurred at Kailasapatnam in Kotlavuratla Mandal, police said.

The firecrackers unit was completely gutted in the fire, triggered by an explosion. Fourteen workers were working in the unit at the time of the explosion.

Eight persons died on the spot, and their bodies were found shattered at the blast site. Some of the bodies were charred beyond recognition.

Locals rushed to the scene upon hearing the blast and shifted the injured to a local hospital. They were later taken to King George Hospital at Visakhapatnam. The condition of two of them is stated to be critical.

Local police, along with emergency services, fire tenders, rushed to the spot and doused the fire.

Home Minister V. Anitha, who visited the accident site, said eight persons, including two women, died in the accident.

The deceased have been identified as Appikonda Tatababu (50), S. Govind (40), Devara Nirmala (38), P. Papa (40), G. Venubabu (34), D. Ramalaxmi (35), Hemanth (20), S. Baburao (55). Five of the deceased were local residents while the remaining had migrated from other villages in the district.

The Home Minister announced Rs 15 lakh compensation each for the deceased. She spoke to locals and the senior officials.

Anitha asked officials to ensure the best possible treatment for the injured. She ordered a probe into the incident. She said action would be taken against those found guilty.

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, and Education and IT Minister Nara Lokesh expressed shock over the incident.

The Chief Minister spoke to the Home Minister, District Collector and Superintendent of Police and enquired about the incident.

District Collector Vijayakrishnan said the investigation was on to ascertain the cause of the blast. He called on the families of the victims and consoled them.

The bodies of the deceased were shifted to hospitals at Anakapalli and Narsipatnam.