A blast at an illegal firecracker-making unit at a house in Uttar Pradesh's Gonda district on Monday resulted in the death of two individuals, including a boy, and left three others injured. As per the police, the explosion occurred at the residence of Mohammad Farooq in Ragadganj village, where firecrackers were being produced at the time. Upon receiving information about the incident, police and administration officials arrived at the scene and initiated a rescue operation.
The deceased persons have been identified as Akash (15) and Lallu (30). On the way to the medical college Akash and Lallu died, while other three -- Ishtiyaq (40), Ayaas (17) and Krishna Kumar (24)-- got injured. Dr Deepak Singh said that the other three are critical and have been referred to Lucknow for better treatment.
According to the police, Farooq used to live in Punjab. Rajjan Baba, an eyewitness, said the owner of the house lives in Punjab’s Jalandhar and some people were making firecrackers when the explosion took place. Due to the explosion, the wall of the house collapsed and cracks appeared on nearby houses. Gonda Superintendent of Police Vineet Jaiswal said a dog squad and field units are at the spot and probe is on.
Bareilly firecracker factory blast
In a similar incident on October 2, at least six people were killed following a blast at a firecracker manufacturing unit in a village in Bareilly district. The explosion, which took place in the Sirauli police station area, also caused damage to some adjoining buildings, police added. A day later, police arrested the main accused in connection with the case. Senior Superintendent of Police Anurag Arya said the explosion occurred at Rehman Shah's home which destroyed several houses in the area.
(With PTI inputs)
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