Electrical engineer, friend die in Bengal while making Diwali crackers

Police said the four men had no permission for making firecrackers

Two young men died and two others were injured in a blast Tuesday night in Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district while making firecrackers for Diwali, police said on Wednesday.

The youths were making the crackers inside the compound of a community club. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The two deceased - Palash Mandal, an electrical engineer and his friend Prabhat Mondal, both aged 26 - worked with private firms.

The incident took place at Ashurali village in the Ramnagar. The youths were making the crackers inside the compound of a community club.

The injured youths, Pratap Mandal and Pradyumna Mandal, were rushed to a hospital in Kolkata with severe burn injuries. Two were declared dead on arrival.

“The youths were making crackers for their own use. They had no permission for making firecrackers,” said S Silva Murugan, superintendent of police, Diamond Harbour police district.