Blast kills 4 at BRS celebratory meeting

Khammam : Four persons died and four others suffered injuries in a fire accident near the venue of a meeting of the ruling BRS at a village in Khammam district of Telangana on Wednesday.

Enthusiastic crowd was bursting firecrackers during the Bharat Rashtra Samithi's (BRS) 'Aatmeeya Sammelanam' meeting in Chimalapadu in Karepalli mandal in Wyra Assembly segment in Khammam district in the afternoon.

One of the firecrackers allegedly fell on a hut about 200 metres away from the main road, close to the venue, police said. The fire at the hut was doused by those who were present there but a gas cylinder inside went unnoticed. The cylinder exploded and fragments that emerged out of the blast injured those at the spot. Eight persons were badly wounded, out of which four succumbed to their injuries, the police said.

The others, undergoing treatment at a hospital, are out of danger.

The area presented a gory scene as legs and hands of a person were cut off due to the impact of the blast. Khammam Lok Sabha member Nama Nageswara Rao and other leaders had participated in the rally organised by the BRS.

Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao as well as BRS working president and IT Minister KT Rama Rao expressed shock over the incident.

KCR spoke to Transport Minister Puvvada Ajay Kumar and MP Nama Nageswara Rao over phone to know the details of the accident. KCR assured that members of the deceased families would be supported in all possible ways. The CM also directed the officials to provide better medical services to the injured.