2 dead in explosion at firecracker manufacturing unit in Nayagarh,Odisha

Bhubaneshwar,Sept24:Two persons died and 13 others injured, in an explosion at a firecracker manufacturing unit in Nayagarh district this afternoon.

Of the injured 13, at least 7 are said to be critical and have been shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack. Nayagarh Chief District Medical Officer Rajlaxmi Mohanty said the 7 critically-injured persons have suffered over 80 per cent burns.

Police officials said the injured were working in the cracker factory when the explosion took place at Tantisahi of Itamati area under Nayagarh district. “Such was impact of the explosion that it brought down the whole factory. Some of the injured were retrieved from the debris,” said Itamati police station inspctor Saroj Sahu.

The charred body of one person was identified as Arata Sahu while another person Yogendra Muduli succumbed to his injuries at the SCB Medical College and Hospital at Cuttack.

The fire tenders which were pressed into service had to spray water from a distance to avoid injury. Fire fighters suspect that another body may still have been trapped.

Police said they are still trying to find out how the explosion happened. “We have no idea how the explosion occurred. There was a huge explosion and the factory caught fire,” said Itamati grampanchayat sarpanch Manoj Sahoo.