KAKINADA: Nine women were injured in an explosion at a cracker manufacturing unit in Samalkota mandal of East Godavari district on Monday. They were rushed to the Kakinada government hospital and later to a private hospital where five of the victims were treated for severe burn injuries. Agriculture Minister K Kanna Babu, Collector D Muralidhar Reddy and SP Nayeem Asmi, who visited the injured at the Venkata Chalapathi Nursing Home in Kakinada, said the cracker unit had a licence and that the government would offer support to the victims.
The unit at Vetlapalem village was owned by one Bobbarada Sattibabu and named Indira Fireworks. While the five women were working in close proximity to the area where the blast took place, others, who suffered minor injuries, were a little far. The collector, stating that the blast took place all of a sudden, said the unit was working legally and that the officials had conducted regular yearly checks there.
The injured women were identified as Kakara Anitha (30), Bathina Lovakumari (35), Bonti Chellamma (50), Kongu Laxmi (40), Chilli Veera Raghavamma (40), Koyya Laxmi (50), Bobbara Dhanalaxmi (40), Kankanala Satyaveni (25) and Yasarapu Aruna (27). Stating that strict action would be taken against the factories operating without licences, the minister added that Chief Minister had inquired about the victims and the issue.