Bengal teenager, woman die in explosion at East Midnapore house, 5 injured

Police said the house owner Srikanta Bhakta was licensed to operate a firecracker unit till about a year ago when the licence expired

KOLKATA: Two persons including a teenage boy were killed and five injured in an explosion at an illegal firecracker unit in West Bengal’s East Midnapore district on Tuesday morning, police said.

APolice said the teenager was declared brought dead by doctors following the explosion while a 50-year-old woman succumbed to her injuries later (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The blast took place at a house in Panskura area of the district 80km east of Kolkata at about 11am, police said. The house owner, Srikanta Bhakta, was earlier licensed to make firecrackers but the licence expired about a year back, a senior police officer said.

The officer said the firecrackers were being stored in the part of the house where the explosion took place and led to the collapse of a portion of the house. “We have started an investigation. Samples of fire crackers and materials have been seized from the house.”

Local residents told reporters that they heard a deafening sound at about 11am and rushed to the spot. They saw seven people lying on the floor with severe injuries and took them to hospital.

A teenage boy died before he could reach the hospital while a woman, identified as Swarnalata Bhakta, 50, succumbed to her injuries during treatment. Five others are still being treated at the hospital.