17-year-old Manikanta Explains Terrifying Blast
“Many of the victims were crying and shouting with their body burns. A woman screamed that she was thirsty and some others were begging to be saved. Another woman was lying next to the pillar, her body still burning. It was a terrifying situation at the blast site,’’ a stunned Manikanta said.
Kakinada: Horrifying scenes were witnessed at the firecracker unit blast site on Sunday.
Seventeen –year-old Bhimereddy Manikanta of K Venkatapuram village in Tuni mandal was present near the site and heard cries of the victims. He tried to help the victims.
Chintala Ramana (60) was residing in Juvvaladoddi area in Vetlapalem village. She had married off her two daughters-- Ananthalakshmi and Bhimireddy Devi. Her husband Appa Rao died two months back.
She went to the firecracker unit for work on Saturday.
Her grand-daughter stated, “I heard a loud sound and ran to the site of the blast. Some bodies were burning. I identified my grandmother Ramana. She was caught under a pillar. I recognized her by the saree she was wearing.”
“When she was running with burn injuries, an iron pillar fell on her. She was unable to get out and was charred to death,” the grand-daughter said.
She said, “When I was going to the site, a person with his burning body was walking on the canal bund. An ambulance came and he himself boarded the ambulance and asked the personnel to provide him treatment.”
“Many of the victims were crying and shouting with their body burns. A woman screamed that she was thirsty and some others were begging to be saved. Another woman was lying next to the pillar, her body still burning. It was a terrifying situation at the blast site,’’ a stunned Manikanta said.
According to fire force personnel, two cows and a hen were tied to a pillar in one shed. Though the blast occurred in the unit, these animals were saved. One of the injured persons released the animals by cuttig the ropes.
Pension day kept many away from firecracker units
Kakinada: Distribution of old-age pensions on Saturday is believed to have spared many residents of Vetlapalem and surrounding villages from reporting for work at firecracker manufacturing units, locals said on Sunday.
Residents said several beneficiaries waited at home to receive pensions distributed door-to-door by government staff, and planned to go for work only the next day. As a result, many did not attend work at the firecracker unit on the day of the explosion.
People from Durganagar said the pension distribution day proved crucial for them. Kommu Ravi, a resident, said many villagers depend on firecracker units for survival despite the risks involved. He said alternative employment options had shrunk over the years, with agricultural work declining due to mechanisation, closure of sago factories and reduced workforce in rice mills.
“With no regular livelihood, people are forced to work in firecracker units,” he said.
Another resident, Appa Rao, urged the government to provide training in alternative skills and support marketing avenues to help workers shift away from hazardous jobs.
Nageswara Rao, also from Durganagar, suggested making accidental insurance compulsory for firecracker unit workers. He pointed out that under certain postal insurance schemes, an annual premium of ₹750 could provide accident cover of up to ₹15 lakh.
Meanwhile, on Saturday night, the wife of a blast victim undergoing treatment at the Government General Hospital, Kakinada, told Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu that while technological advancement was important, attention must also be paid to livelihood opportunities for the poor. She appealed to the government to ensure employment options for labourers affected by automation.
