Two persons have been killed and one injured in an explosion in an idol-making unit in the old city area of Hyderabad. The incident occurred late on the night of Thursday, November 4 at the Kandikal Gate area under the limits of Chatrinaka police station when the workers were bursting firecrackers during Deepavali celebrations. The deceased were identified as 25-year-old Vishnu and 30-year-old Jagannath. A third person, Virender, who was injured, was admitted to the government-run Osmania General Hospital (OGH), where his condition is stated to be critical.
Police suspect that the explosion occurred when firecrackers apparently fell in the chemicals stored there. A police officer said that they were conducting further investigations. Speaking to the media, Falaknuma Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Md Majeed said, “There were five people residing in that place. Two men died, one was injured. The others said that they had been bursting crackers when there was a sudden, big noise, and they were hurt. Further investigation will reveal the reasons behind the blast.”
The two deceased men were from West Bengal while the injured person Virender is from Uttar Pradesh. Vishnu and Jagannath’s bodies were shifted to Osmania General Hospital for autopsy. Senior police officials rushed to the unit, where plaster of paris idols are made. Forensic experts also visited the scene and collected samples.
Earlier in September, two people were killed and two others injured in a blast in Bengaluru caused by firecrackers. The explosion occurred inside the warehouse of a transport company in the Chamrajpet area. At the time, a police official said that a package containing firecrackers was being offloaded from a transport vehicle when it accidentally was set off due to physical impact. In 2018, a firecracker blast at a home in Rajahmundry town of Andhra Pradesh killed three people including a minor boy. The family of six living in a thatched hut was making Deepavali crackers at home with explosive materials.
With IANS inputs