An explosion at an illegal fireworks factory in the Gonda region of Uttar Pradesh on Monday afternoon claimed two lives and critically wounded five more. The event happened at a home where firecrackers were being created illegally in Belsar Nagar Panchayat, which is within the Tarabganj police station jurisdiction. For more extensive care, two of the wounded were sent to Lucknow Medical College.

There were many people shopping in the adjacent market at the moment of the explosion. People ran out of the stores and houses in terror as a cloud of smoke rose with the explosion. The force of the explosion was so great that it cracked the walls of the temporary factory and created fissures in the neighboring residences and stores.

According to locals, a guy called Ishtiaq was manufacturing firecrackers at his home. The badly charred victims were discovered laying behind the crumbling wall. Seven individuals, including Ishtiaq, Ayesha, Mushtaq, Chhotu, and Toofan, were among the dead.

After being taken to the community health center, the wounded were advised to visit the district hospital by the medical staff. On arrival, two of the injured—Akash and Ishtiyak—were confirmed dead, while the other victims are still receiving medical attention.

Surprisingly, the police were oblivious to the presence of the illegal firecracker factory, which was functioning within 800 meters from a police outpost on the Belsar-Umari Begamganj route. Police oversight shortcomings are said to have played a role in this catastrophe, despite the fact that authorities had warned people to exercise caution ahead of the Diwali season.

This explosion is seldom a unique occurrence. One person died in a similar explosion in Nawabganj last year. Five people were murdered in an explosion in Wazirganj three years ago.