The incident happened at Odisha's Kukudakhandi village (Representative)
Two persons were killed and three others critically injured in an explosion at a crusher unit in Odisha's Ganjam district today, the police said.
The incident happened at Kukudakhandi village in the Berhampur Sadar police station area, they said.
They have been identified as A Santosh Kumar (37) of Kukudakhandi and Suresh Kumar Patra (40) of Fadripalli, the police said.
One of the injured persons was referred to AIIMS- Bhubaneswar, and the other two are undergoing treatment at the MKCG Medical College and Hospital here, they said.
Their condition is stated to be critical, the police said.
The injured persons are also from Kukudakhandi and its nearby villages, they said.
It is suspected that explosive materials such as gelatin sticks and detonators stocked at a tin-roofed house for use in the stone quarry might have caused the blast, the police said.
The intensity was much severe as two gas cylinders, which were inside the house, also exploded, they said.
Senior police officers, including Superintendent of Police Pinak Mishra, visited the spot.
A person has been detained in connection with the incident, the police said.
"We have detained one person, the husband of the owner of the crusher unit, for interrogation," said JK Mohapatra, the sub-divisional police officer of Berhampur Sadar.
All aspects of the crusher unit will be verified, including the sources of procuring the explosives and the purpose for stocking, the police said.
The district administration has sealed the crusher unit and started an inquiry, officials said.
All the victims were in that tin-roofed house near the crusher unit when the explosion took place, the police said.
While Santosh died at the spot, Suresh succumbed to the injuries on the way to the hospital, they said.
The explosion caused a fire, which was doused by firefighters, sources said.
The district administration sanctioned a compensation of Rs 20,000 and Rs 10,000 from the District Red Cross Fund to the family members of the dead and injured persons, respectively, they said.