6 more killed in Andhra cracker unit explosion, toll mounts to 17

The toll in the explosion at a fire cracker manufacturing unit at Vakatippa village in East Godavari district rose to 17 on Tuesday with six more persons succumbing to burns at a local hospital, police said.

The toll in the explosion has now climbed to 17 from 11 after six injured died at a hospital in Kakinada town. The dead comprise 14 women and three men, East Godavari SP M Ravi Prakash told PTI.

The victims of the private cracker unit, located at Vakatippa village in Uppada Kothapalli mandal near the district headquarters town of Kakinada, were working when the blast took place on Monday afternoon.

Initially, the police had said that there were 18 workers working in the unit at the time of explosion.

Later, Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister N Chinnarajappa said that 30 persons were present at the site when the explosion occurred.

The manufacturing unit where the explosion occurred had applied for renewal of its license, he said.

The explosion had left nine workers dead on the spot while two others died on Tuesday while undergoing treatment at a hospital.

As per preliminary reports, the explosion was a result of a chemical reaction during the cracker manufacturing process.

District Collector Neetu Prasad has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the explosion while the state government had said that steps are being initiated to shut down those fire cracker manufacturing units which are operating illegally.