Couple Killed In Explosion While Making Firecrackers In Odisha's Jagatsinghpur

Two more of the family sustained injuries in the mishap and have been admitted to SCB Medical College and Hospital.

Paradip: A couple was killed after their house collapsed due to an explosion while they were making firecrackers in a village in Jagatsinghpur district late on Friday night.

The incident was reported from Badabag village in Sadar police station area and the victims identified as Rajesh Das and his wife. Rajesh's younger brother Paresh and his wife Lakshmipriya were injured in the mishap, police said. The impact of the explosion was such that the roof and walls of Das' house collapsed As per reports, Rajesh was the son of a local firecracker trader. Police said Paresh and Laksmipriya are undergoing treatment at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack. Police, Fire Services and personnel of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were engaged in rescue operations at the site.

An investigation has been initiated to ascertain the exact cause of the explosion, Jagatsinghpur Superintendent of Police Bhawani Sankar Udgata said. It will be also be ascertained whether the Das family had a valid licence to manufacture firecrackers.

In a similar incident, six workers were killed on Saturday following an explosion at a firecracker manufacturing unit in the Virudhunagar district of Tamil Nadu. The blast is suspected to have taken place during the process of mixing chemicals. The explosion was so severe that it flattened several rooms and led to the deaths, officials said. The fire and rescue department personnel reached the spot and began the rescue operation.

The six dead workers were identified as Velmurugan, Nagaraj, Kamaraj, Meenakshisundaram, Sivakumar, and Kannan. The factory where the explosion took place is located in the Bommayapuram area near Sattur in Virudhunagar. More than 80 workers are engaged in the production of firecrackers in the factory. "The fire department is trying to put out the fire, however, the operation is being delayed due to the continuous bursting of firecrackers, and the death toll is likely to rise as it is not known how many people were in the factory at the time of the blast," an official said.