4 killed, 4 injured in explosion at illegal firecracker unit in Odisha’s Khurda

Police said that a group of workers were making firecrackers for the Holi festival in a house in Bhushandpur village when the explosives caught fire killing four on the spot

Published on: Mar 6, 2023, 15:01:34 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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At least four were killed, and four others suffered burn injuries after an illegal firecracker unit exploded in the Khurda district on Monday, police said.

Police said the explosion was so severe that three houses in the locality were also completely destroyed (Representative Photo)

Police said that a group of workers were making firecrackers for the Holi festival in a house in Bhushandpur village when the explosives caught fire killing four on the spot.

“The crackers went off one after the other. We suspect the firecrackers were stacked at various places in the house instead of a common spot so that they could dry up fast. The house was completely gutted,” Khurda superintendent of police (SP) Siddharth Kataria said.

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He said that they were able to rescue four people with serious burn injuries after much effort while the bodies of the deceased were recovered for autopsy.

“We received information at around 10.44am about the fire mishap. Fire tenders, ambulances, police and local revenue officials rushed to the spot. Two of the injured have been admitted to AIIMS Bhubaneswar,” the SP said.

“The explosion was so severe that three houses in the locality were also completely destroyed,” SP Kataria said.

The SP said that no licence was granted for manufacturing firecrackers in that unit which was located on government land.

Last week, three workers of an illegal cracker manufacturing unit were killed in the Jagatsinghpur district following a deadly explosion.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More