Eleven people were killed and five were injured after a massive explosion at a firecracker factory in Uttar Pradesh’s Kaushambi district on Monday afternoon, officials said.
The fire brigade had earlier brought the blaze under control and rescue operations were launched to evacuate people from the factory. He added that the five seriously injured people are undergoing treatment at the same hospital. Given the intensity of the blast, train operations on the Delhi-Howrah railway line passing near the site were suspended for about an hour. Pal, Kaushambi Superintendent of Police (SP) Satyanarayan Prajapat and Prayagraj Range Inspector General of Police (IG) Ajay Mishra reached the spot along with teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), police and fire brigade personnel.
District Magistrate Amit Pal said the blast occurred at a firecracker factory in Manori village under the Pipri police station area, following which 11 injured people, who had been referred to SRN Hospital in Prayagraj, died during treatment. More than a dozen fire tenders and around two dozen ambulances have been deployed at the site, while more than 50 Air Force personnel are also assisting in the rescue operation. Debris from the collapsed house is being cleared with the help of 10 bulldozers.
Police suspect that more people might be trapped underneath, and therefore, the death toll could rise further.
All the deceased persons resided in the vicinity of the factory, the officials said. “More than 18 people are suspected to have been injured in the incident,” according to the officials.
The Ajmer-Sealdah Express, which had reached near the incident site, was sent back to Manori railway station, while the Vande Bharat Express travelling from Delhi to Varanasi was stopped at Saiyad Sarawan railway station, one station before the site.
