8 die in cracker manufacturing unit blast

Eight persons,including a child,were killed and seven more were critically injured in a blast at a cracker manufacturing unit in Paniyara area of Maharajganj district today.

The owner of the unit Mazhar Ali (55),his wife Ayesha (50),son Mubarak (30),daughters Samidul Nisha (30) and Hamidul Nisha (28) and Mubaraks one-year-old daughter Muskan died on the spot,while two teenage workers succumbed to injuries at the BRD Medical College of Gorakhpur. The injured includes four members of Alis family.

Additional Superintendent of Police,Maharajganj,Ashok Kumar Pandey said that Ali had a licence for purchasing explosive material and manufacturing crackers on the ground floor of his house at Rampur village. The victims were mixing the explosive material for making crackers,when the explosion took place. The ceiling and walls of the house blew up due to the impact of the blast.

Pandey said that Ali and five of his family members were found buried in the debris. Three of the workers Navni (14),Dilip (15) and Jitendra (14) and Mubaraks children Qurban (13) and Jainab (5) and Samiduls children Rukhsana (5) and Noor Jahan (1) were rescued in critical condition. Two passersby,Paltu and Ram Naresh,also suffered injuries due to the explosion. They were rushed to the medical college.

Navni and Jitendra died later during treatment. The condition of Noor Jahan and Jainab was stated to be critical,Pandey said.

The ASP said that they

conducted a search at another

licenced manufacturing units

run by one Ali Raza in the

neighbourhood and found five gunny bags containing crackers lying near a furnace. The police seized the materials and took Raza in custody for not adhering to the norms.

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