20 dead, most of them women, in Andhra Pradesh's worst firecracker unit explosion

KAKINADA: At least 20 people were killed and 12 seriously injured when a massive explosion occurred at a firecracker manufacturing unit at Vetlapalem village in Andhra Pradesh's Kakinada district on Saturday afternoon.

Officials said the toll could rise as many of the injured were unlikely to survive. Most of the workers in the unit were women from nearby villages, but their exact number is not known.This is the biggest tragedy in a firecracker unit in Andhra Pradesh in recent memory. Until now, the highest toll recorded at a firecracker unit blast in the state was in 2014 when 11 people were killed.Fire officials said they were yet to identify the exact cause of the explosion.

However, they suspect that large amount of raw material, including charcoal powder, sulphur and potassium, was kept in the sheds of the unit and a small spark may have caused the explosion.The unit reportedly obtained permission to manufacture small crackers, but was manufacturing large ones as well and may have stockpiled chemicals beyond the permissible limit of 15 kg. District fire officer of Kakinada, Saikrishna Rajesh said an explosion of this magnitude was not possible with just 15 kg of chemicals.

"The unit had, however, complied with other regulations like keeping a safe distance from residential areas and storing water for emergencies," he added.Police officials said while the unit owner, Adabala Nani, was absconding, his father Adabala Srinu was in the unit at the time of the blast and was among the victims.Locals said they heard a deafening explosion at around 2.10 pm. This was quickly followed by thick smoke and a massive fire.

Many villagers working in nearby fields said they could not reach the accident spot in time due to the intense heat all around. Glass windows and electronic gadgets in homes nearby were damaged and people, particularly old people and children, were left shaken.The state govt ordered an inquiry into the cause of the explosion. Officials told TOI that in the absence of the owner, they were unable to tell the exact number of workers in the unit at the time of the accident.Police officers said the explosion was so intense that body parts of the victims were recovered far away from the unit. The odour of burnt human flesh lingered almost half a km away. Rescuers had to wade through strewn human body parts and putrid smell to shift the injured from the blast site.Rescue teams, including the state disaster response force, gathered the charred body parts from the nearby fields and shifted them to the local hospital so that they can be identified later through DNA tests.Prime Minister Narendra Modi and AP chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu condoled the deaths. Modi announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the kin of each of the deceased, and Rs 50,000 to the injured. Naidu cut short his official visit to north coastal AP and camped in Kakinada to monitor relief and rescue operations.By the time the fire was put out, the entire premises was reduced to ashes. The 20 bodies recovered from the rubble were charred beyond recognition.

Nine of the injured were admitted to Govt General Hospital in Kakinada, all of them in a critical condition.North coastal Andhra and Konaseema region is dotted with many firecrackers units, both legal and illegal. There have been several instances of explosions in the region with many casualties.Officials said the unit was receiving large offers as this was marriage season and had employed more workers to meet the demand.