At least five people were killed and 14 injured when a powerful explosion ripped through a firecracker-manufacturing unit in Lucknow's Mohanlalganj area on Saturday. The incident happened around 8am when people were binding explosives to make high decibel crackers for Diwali.
The injured were rushed to a hospital, where the condition of four is stated to be critical. Police are trying to ascertain the cause of the blast, which prima facie appears to have been triggered by a cigarette.
The police said that bodies of all the five people killed in the incident were blown into pieces. The process of cleaning the debris was on.
As the festival of Diwali is drawing near, those engaged in making crackers are working overtime. The cracker manufacturing unit was licensed to Mohd Khalil. The police said that most of the work was on at rooftop while few others were working on the ground floor of the building.
The locals said that there was a huge when the explosion took place. District magistrate Rajshekhar and other senior police officials rushed to the spot. Forensic team and ATS were also called to help in investigating the case, the police told HT.
The area has many firecracker manufacturing units and work is currently underway on a large scale as Diwali is around the corner.
{{/usCountry}}The area has many firecracker manufacturing units and work is currently underway on a large scale as Diwali is around the corner.
{{/usCountry}}