Varanasi: 4 killed, 6 injured in explosion at illegal fireworks factory

A blast at an illegal firecracker factory in Varanasi killed four people and injured six others on Tuesday night, police said.

A blast at an illegal firecracker factory in Varanasi killed four people and injured six others on Tuesday night, police said.

Four people were killed in an explosion at an illegal fireworks factory in Varanasi on Tuesday night. (Representative photo /Shutterstock)

The blast occurred when explosive material caught fire, collapsing the rear of the house and trapping people inside. Police and a team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) rescued the injured from the debris, who were then rushed to a hospital. Two of them were discharged after primary treatment.

Three of the deceased were identified as Sarfraj (35), Amna (45) and Saba, whose age is yet to be ascertained. A fourth body is yet to be identified. All four bodies were sent for post mortem.

District magistrate Yogeshwar Ram Mishra and senior superintendent of police, Nitin Tiwari, reached the factory located in Pitarkunda under Chetganj police station area.

According to the police, the building was owned by Habeeb, who escaped after the explosion took place. Primary investigations revealed that the factory was illegally functioning in a densely populated area in the building, Tiwari said.

Further investigations are on while a probe has been ordered against the local area station officer.