BHUBANESWAR: At least one person died and eight others were injured in an explosion at an illegal firecracker store room in Odisha's Boudh district on Sunday, police said.
The incident took place around noon at a firecracker godown at Jiakata-Chhatrapur under Purunakatak police limits in Harabhanga block of the district.
The blast was so powerful that the store room was reduced to rubble.
The injured were rushed to the Purunakatak Community Health Centre with the help of locals.
"The deceased was identified as Laxmindra Behera (40), of Chhatrapur village under Purunakatak police station area. Eight others were injured in the incident," Boudh SP Rahul Goel told reporters.
The SP said a massive rescue operation was launched with the help of local police, fire service personnel, ODRAF, bomb squad, scientific team, and dog squad, as it was suspected that some people might be under the debris.
"Huge quantities of illegal explosive substances were stored. The hunt for suspects is going on, and further three godowns of firecrackers in the district have been seized and sealed in a major operation," the SP said.
A probe is underway to determine the exact cause of the explosion and whether any safety violations were involved, police said the local people resorted to a road blockade as the houses in the nearby areas were also affected due to the explosion.
"The impact of the explosion was felt nearly a kilometre away, shattering glass panes of several shops in Purunakatak market," said Bhimsen Sethi, a local man.