Death toll mounts to 21 in Andhra crackers unit blast

The death toll in the explosion at a firecrackers unit in Andhra Pradesh's Kakinada district rose to 21 as one of the injured succumbed at a hospital on Sunday.

A man named Darsipathi Lavaraju (40) breathed his last at Kakinada Government General Hospital (GGH) early Sunday morning.

Eight injured are undergoing treatment at GGH Kakinada while a person is under treatment at Peddapuram.

Twenty workers, including nine women, were burnt alive in the explosion at firecrackers unit at Vetlapalem village on Saturday afternoon.

Minister for Municipal Administration P. Narayana said the condition of the injured remained critical.

He said it was found during preliminary investigation that the firecrackers unit had employed more workers than permitted by authorities, and that some of them were not fully skilled.

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, who visited site of the explosion and called on the injured at GGH on Saturday night, announced Rs 20 lakh compensation each for the families of the deceased. He also assured best possible treatment to the injured.

The Chief Minister ordered a thorough probe into the incident. He ordered suspension of Peddapuram Revenue Divisional Officer, Peddapuram Deputy Superintendent of Police, District Labour Officer and the District Fire Officer for negligence.

He said strong action will be taken to prevent recurrence of such incidents. He said the properties of people found responsible for such incidents would be confiscated.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan called on the injured at Kakinada GGH on Sunday. He was shocked to see the victims with burns.

The Deputy CM enquired about the reasons for the explosion from the District Collector and Superintendent of police.

He spoke to the family members of the victims and consoled them. Pawan Kalyan also enquired about the details of the deceased and injured and the medical facilities being provided to the injured in the hospital.

He ordered the district administration and medical staff to ensure that the injured get better treatment

Pawan Kalyan was accompanied by State Municipal Administration Minister P. Narayana, State Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha, State Tourism Minister Shri Kandula Durgesh, MPs and MLAs.