Blast in Fireworks Manufacturing Unit in AP: 18 Killed
The explosion occurred at Suryasri Fireworks Center, located next to the Godavari Canal in the Vetlapalem
Hyderabad: A massive explosion occurred at a fireworks manufacturing plant in Samarlakota mandal of Kakinada district in Andhra Pradesh. The explosion occurred at Suryasri Fireworks Center, located next to the Godavari Canal in the Vetlapalem area of the mandal, at around 2 pm on Saturday. It is learned that 18 people lost their lives in the incident.
Locals said that the sounds of the explosion were heard from about 5 km away. Dense smoke spread throughout the area due to the massive fire. The intensity of the noise caused cracks in the slab of a private school in a neighboring village.
Upon receiving the information, the fire department personnel are trying to douse the fire with the help of two fire engines. Eight people were seriously injured and taken to the hospital by ambulance. The intensity of the explosion was so strong that the bodies were flung into nearby paddy fields, a police official said.
Kakinada Government General Hospital superintendent said the hospital received seven patients with burns ranging from 90 to 100 per cent. He said they are under treatment. Dense smoke engulfed the surrounding villages due to the blast. Locals panicked after hearing the sounds of explosions. The fireworks manufacturing unit, with six sheds, is run by the family members of Adapa Nani and is located in the fields on the Pedapudi Road.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu expressed sadness over a large number of cracker manufacturing workers losing their lives at Surya Fireworks. "The explosion at a crackers manufacturing unit at Vetlapalem village in Kakinada district has really pained me. Multiple people losing their lives in this accident is sad," said Naidu in a post on X.