A massive fire was reported at a firecracker factory following an explosion in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur on Friday, said the police, while adding that two people lost their lives in the incident.
The factory was located in the Naya Kunda village, which is located in the jurisdiction of the Gangoh police station. The incident left two people dead and many others wounded, and authorities are at the spot to conduct a rescue operation to rescue those who were trapped.
The deceased, the police said, were identified as Deepraj (23) and Sandeep (25), who were residents of Madhya Pradesh's Indore.
The explosion damaged a significant portion of the factory and triggered panic among the locals, who had rushed to the site immediately. There is no clarity on what caused the explosion and authorities are currently focusing on rescuing the injured and providing them with medical assistance.
Videos go viral on social media
Several videos have also gone viral on social media showing the intensity of the explosion. However, India TV Digital cannot independently verify the veracity of the videos.
"Preliminary indications suggest that negligence or improper handling and storage of explosive material could have led to the incident," Superintendent of Police (Rural) Mayank Pathak told news agency PTI, while adding that a contractor and one of his employees, who were present at the factory, were reported missing and efforts were underway to trace them.
The police also said the factory owner, a resident of Ghaziabad, left for Saharanpur after receiving information about the incident.
Explosion in Ahmedabad
Last week, similar incident was reported in Gujarat's Ahmedabad after eight people lost their lives following an explosion at an illegal firecracker factory. The factory was located on the Ramol-Gatrad Road behind the Rapid Action Force (RAF) camp in Vastral, with the incident leaving many others injured.
Following the incident, senior officials of the police and civic authorities, including Ahmedabad Mayor Hitesh Barot, reached the spot. They said 12 to 15 people were working at the facility when the explosion happened, adding that the injured were shifted to nearby hospitals.
