At least five people, including two children and a woman, have been killed and four others injured in a massive explosion in an illegal firecracker unit in Bihar’s Saran district on Sunday, police said.
Saran Superintendent of Police Santosh Kumar told reporters that the blast was so powerful that the three-storey building in Khodaibag Bazar from which the illegal firecracker factory was operating, collapsed. The exact cause of the blast is yet to be ascertained but it is suspected that LPG cylinders kept inside the house also exploded, he said.
The owner of the illegal factory, identified as 22-year-old Shabir Hussain, was among those who died on the spot.
Other deceased include 35-year-old Mulazim, 32-year-old Shabana Khatoon and five-year-old Shazad. Another four-year-old child, who also died in the incident, is yet to be identified, he said.
Of the four others injured in the incident, the condition of a woman is critical and she has been shifted to Patna for better treatment, the officer said.
”Operations are underway to rescue trapped persons, if any, from under the debris. Forensic experts from Patna are assisting local police in the investigation,” he added.
