6 killed in blasts at Lucknow cracker unit

Police said a large amount of explosives was stored in the house as Diwali is approaching.

Police at the site of blasts at Sisendi village, Mohanlalganj, in Lucknow on Saturday. ( Source: Express photo by Vishal Srivastav )

At least six persons were killed and over a dozen suffered serious injuries in powerful blasts at a cracker manufacturing unit operational at a residence at Sisendi village in Mohanlalganj area, about 30 km from Lucknow, on Saturday morning. Three blasts took place around 8 am at the factory owned by one Khalil Ahmad.

A group of labourers were reportedly at work at the time. The cause of the blasts is yet to be established. Police said a large amount of explosives was stored in the house as Diwali is approaching.

Villagers said there were at least three high-decibel blasts at the cracker unit. Three rooms of the house were completely damaged and body parts of those killed were found scattered even outside the house. Among those killed was Khalil’s 16-year-old niece Naghma Bano who had stepped out of the house with her bicycle to go to school when the blasts occurred.

The other deceased are Khalil’s mother Zahira (70), his brother Saleem (36), his sister-in-law Momin Bano (40), and two labourers — Nanakki (45) and Rakesha (32). Fifteen persons, including Khalil, his family members and six labourers — are undergoing treatment at the King George Medical University’s trauma centre. Six of them are reportedly critical.

Khalil had been running the firecracker unit for over two decades. While his manufacturing unit is situated on the other side of the road, most firecrackers were manufactured at his house, villagers said.

“I had just opened my shop when I heard a blast. Soon, another blast happened. As I went towards the factory, the third blast occurred. I asked people to stay away from the house as minor explosions continued. Once the blasts stopped and police were informed, we went near the house only to find mutilated bodies,” said AK Dwivedi, a shopkeeper.

Khalil’s car that was parked in a verandah in the house was also destroyed. Villagers said Khalil manufactured all kinds of firecrackers, including powerful ones, and that the firecracker unit was running in the residential area despite complaints by the villagers.

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Mohanlalganj CO Rajesh Kumar Yadav said Khalil had a permit to manufacture firecrackers. The licence, renewed in 2012, is reportedly valid till 2015, he added. Yadav said it could be possible that the license was given to him when there were no houses near the cracker manufacturing unit.

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