An explosion took place in Bhimavaram town in a scrap yard in Andhra Pradesh’s West Godavari district. There was no one in the scrap yard when the explosion took place. However, a cow grazing in the area was injured in the blast. The police were informed and special teams were immediately called in. A sniffer dog team was also alerted and the entire area was cordoned off for further investigation. As Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy is scheduled to visit Bhimavaram for a function on Saturday, August 14, security was beefed up following the incident.
Immediately after the blast, locals gathered in large numbers to find out what the loud noise was about. Speaking to local media, a local who heard the blast said, “We were inside our house when the blast happened. We heard a very loud sound following which we rushed out to see what had happened.”
Disposed and abandoned fridges and washing machines were present in the scrap yard at the time of the blast. A ditch was formed in the ground because of the intensity of the blast. District SP Rahul Sharma visited the location and addressed the media following his visit. He said, “A blast occurred at a scrapyard in Bhimavaram’s 2-town police station limits. A cow has been injured in the blast. This scrapyard has majorly scrap from refrigerators, air conditioners and washing machines. The team has collected ammonium items from the spot. A special team from Vijayawada has been called in.”
“Once the team analyses the chemicals at the spot we will know how the blast happened and what exactly caused the blast. Whether it was an explosive material or the scrapyard material that exploded will be revealed,” added the district SP.
The occurrence of the blast a day before the scheduled visit of the Chief Minister had officials become more alert and additional security was immediately deployed. The Chief Minister is to visit the town to attend the wedding of an MLA’s daughter.