LUCKNOW: At least 11 people were killed and five injured after a massive explosion at a firecracker factory in Mohammadpur village in Kaushambi district, near the Prayagraj-Kaushambi border, on Monday. Several people were also feared trapped.
The explosion destroyed the factory and damaged around five to seven houses in the vicinity. Houses within a 50-metre radius suffered major damage.
The blast occurred in the afternoon when around 25 workers were inside the factory. The explosion was heard nearly 2 km away and was followed by several blasts after firecrackers stored inside the unit caught fire. A large cloud of smoke covered the area. The factory owner was identified as Adil.
Villagers rushed to the site and helped carry the injured on cots. Police, NDRF, SDRF and Air Force personnel joined the rescue operation.
Kaushambi District Magistrate Amit Pal said the blast occurred under the Pipli police station area. He said five injured people taken to SRN Hospital in Prayagraj died during treatment.
The explosion also disrupted train services on the Delhi-Howrah line for about an hour. The Ajmer-Sealdah Express, which had reached near the site, was sent back to Manauri railway station, while the Varanasi-Delhi Vande Bharat was stopped at Saiyad Sarawan railway station.
Kaushambi DM Amit Pal, Superintendent of Police Satyanarayan Prajapat and IG Range Ajay Mishra reached the site to oversee the rescue operation. More than 50 Air Force personnel assisted the rescue teams.
Over a dozen fire tenders and two dozen ambulances were deployed at the site.