Kakinada: 14 women and three men have died in the fire that broke out at a firecracker factory in Andhra Pradesh on Monday, three days before the Diwali festival. Six people died of severe burn injuries in hospital this morning.
The police say two more women are missing since the fire, which started after an explosion so big that many workers were thrown off to nearby fields.
There were 30 people at work when the fire began, said officials in Kakinada, 160 kms from the port city of Visakhapatnam. It took nearly two hours to put out the flames as a lot of inflammable material was feeding the fire.
"We were working inside, when it happened so suddenly. We were thrown a huge distance,'' said a man who survived with minor injuries.
The government has ordered an investigation into whether fire safety precautions had been ignored by the factory's owner.
The factory has been operating every year during the festival season for the last 10 years and reportedly had a licence.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has announced compensation of Rs. 2 lakh for the families of those who died.
The police say two more women are missing since the fire, which started after an explosion so big that many workers were thrown off to nearby fields.
There were 30 people at work when the fire began, said officials in Kakinada, 160 kms from the port city of Visakhapatnam. It took nearly two hours to put out the flames as a lot of inflammable material was feeding the fire.
The government has ordered an investigation into whether fire safety precautions had been ignored by the factory's owner.
Advertisement
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has announced compensation of Rs. 2 lakh for the families of those who died.
Advertisement
COMMENTS
Advertisement
Man Attempts To Cook Chicken With Firecracker, Internet Questions His "Common Sense" 4 Workers Killed, 1 Injured In Firecracker Unit Blast In Tamil Nadu: Cops 18 Chinese Nationals Among 22 Killed In Massive Fire At South Korea Battery Factory Parents Gave Names Of Interns, Doctors To CBI In Kolkata Horror: Sources How Extreme Weather Is Leading To Rise In Child Marriages In Pakistan 3 Days After Big Order On Deposits With SBI And PNB, Karnataka Hits Pause US Warns Iran Faces "Cataclysmic" Consequences If It Strikes Israel 20 Coaches Of Sabarmati Express Train Derail In UP, No Casualties Two Sisters Returning From Court Run Over By Car In UP: Cops Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.