Andhra Pradesh firecracker unit blast: Gone in a flash fire

An explosion at a firecracker manufacturing unit in Vetlapalem village of Kakinada district, Andhra Pradesh, claimed 28 workers’ lives, including eight women. Preliminary investigations reveal that the unit’s owners had allegedly stored explosive materials far beyond the permitted limit and engaged 31 workers, nearly four times the number allowed under licence, in a bid to fulfil festival and wedding orders, reports T. Appala Naidu