2 dead, 14 injured in cracker unit blast

Nellore: Two persons were killed and 14 others injured in an explosion at Porlukatta area in Ranganayakulapeta on the outskirts of Nellore city on Saturday.

Out of the 14 injured, the condition of 13 people was said to be critical as they had suffered around 80 percent third degree burns.

Porlukatta is infamous for illegal cracker making units which had spawned there on government lands.

Majority of the people who work in these units hail from the ST-Yanadi community and reside in thatched huts and prepare crackers in their residences.

These people are illiterate and unaware of chemical combinations. The finished products are stored in a shed which is located away from the huts.

On Saturday, it was business as usual for the inmates when fire erupted suddenly from one of the huts at around 10 am while making the crackers, which soon spread to the other huts as well.

This was reportedly followed by a gigantic explosion. Yatagiri Nagaraju (30) and Lakshmaiah (30) were burnt alive and around 14 people received serious burn injuries.

The injured were rushed to ACSR Medical College and later shifted to Narayana Medical College. Bhaskar, the owner of the illegal cracker unit fled from the scene soon after the tragedy.

6 of the 14 injured were minors. State Home Minister N China Rajappa directed district officials to take immediate measures for providing treatment to the victims.

District Collector R Mutyala Raju said the Revenue Development Officer of Nellore had been directed to probe the incident and submit a report which would be forwarded to the State government.

He also said that teams had been formed in all mandals to clamp down on illegal units.

MP Mekapati Rajamohan Reddy, ZP Chairman B Raghavendra Reddy, city mayor SK Abdul Aziz, SP Vishal Gunni and others visited Narayana hospital and consoled the victims and families and promised them all assistance.

The State government has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh to the families of the deceased.