At least six workers were killed in an explosion at a fireworks factory in Andhra Pradesh’s Anakapalli district on Sunday, April 13. The incident occurred in Kailasapatnam, located in the Kotavuratla mandal. The cause of the explosion is yet to be ascertained.
Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu ordered a probe into the incident after speaking to District Collector Vijaya Krishnan and Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha. Officials informed the Chief Minister that two of the injured workers are in critical condition.
CM Naidu instructed authorities to provide adequate medical care to the injured and assured support to the families affected by the tragedy.
The injured workers were reportedly shifted to the government Area Hospital in Narsipatnam for treatment. According to reports, fireworks were being manufactured at the factory for use in weddings and village temple festivals.
Visuals from the blast site showed the factory reduced to debris.
The explosion occurred in the Payakaraopet Assembly segment, which is also the constituency represented by Home Minister Anitha.
Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan also responded to the incident, offering his condolences to the families of the deceased. Pawan Kalyan had recently paused his tour in the Visakhapatnam region to travel to Singapore after his son, Mark Shankar, was injured in a fire accident.
“A few days ago, when I visited the Alluri Sitharamaraju district, I had planned to discuss the environmental and safety measures to be implemented in Visakhapatnam—not just in heavy industries, but also in small, medium, and micro industries. I had to travel to Singapore urgently. I will focus on this issue during my next visit to Visakhapatnam,” Pawan Kalyan said.