ANANTAPUR: A powerful explosion at Kummaravandlapalli village in Kadiri mandal of Sri Sathya Sai district claimed four lives and injured at least 22 people on Wednesday afternoon.
The explosion, suspected to have been caused by explosives stored for quarry operations, destroyed three houses and damaged nearby structures, plunging the village into grief.
Kadiri DSP J Shiva Narayanaswamy said the deceased were identified as Durgam Mabunni (50), P Viswanatha Reddy (55), and T Madhusudan (45), all residents of Kummaravandlapalli, and Syed Aslam Basha (50) of Masanampeta.
“One of the injured, Ashok, is in a critical condition, while the rest are stable and undergoing treatment at hospitals,” he said.
Preliminary findings suggest that quarry-related explosives may have been illegally stored in a house. Officials suspect local resident Venkanna, who has been engaged in stone blasting for nearly a decade, might have kept explosive materials at home.
District Collector A Shyam Prasad and Superintendent of Police S Satish Kumar visited the site and assured support to the affected families. “The injured will receive the best possible medical treatment, and all necessary assistance will be extended to the victims’ families,” the Collector said.
The SP said, “A detailed investigation is underway to ascertain whether gelatin sticks or other explosives caused the blast. Clues teams are examining possible negligence and illegal storage of explosives.”
