Bareilly: Five people were killed and several others feared trapped under rubble after a blast ripped apart a firecracker factory in Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly district on Wednesday evening. The impact of the explosion was so massive that it caused nearby houses to collapse.
Police and fire brigade personnel along with locals have gathered at the spot to carry out rescue operations as it feared more people could be trapped under the rubble. Police said the firecracker factory was operating illegally without safety procedures which led to the untoward incident.
Senior police and administrative officers have also arrived at the site to assess the situation.
According to reports, an illegal firecracker factory was being operated in Kalyanpur village under the Sirauli police station area. Residential houses were located near the factory. Rahman Shah, a resident of the village, was secretly manufacturing firecrackers in his house and supplying them to his relatives Nazim and Nasir, who run a fireworks business in Sirauli Bazaar.
The massive explosion occurred in the firecrackers stored at Rahman Shah’s house. The loud blast frightened the locals, and when they came out, they saw that the house had completely collapsed into rubble. The explosion also affected eight neighbouring houses. People immediately informed the police and the fire brigade.
With the assistance of locals, authorities have launched a rescue operation. The deceased have been identified as Rahman Shah’s family members including his daughter-in-law. Their bodies have been pulled out from the rubble while a search is on for others trapped.
Just 15 days ago, an explosion in an illegal firecracker factory in the Firozabad district claimed the lives of five people, including a woman and two children. Over a dozen others were severely injured in the incident. The explosion was so powerful that seven nearby houses collapsed. The rescue operation, which lasted several hours, pulled more than 10 people from the debris.
