Andhra cracker unit blast: Death toll rises to 21 overnight

Vetlapalem (Andhra Pradesh), March 1 (PTI) The death toll in the cracker unit blast here in Kakinada district rose by one overnight to reach 21, said an official on Sunday.

As many as 20 people, including nine women, were killed and nine more were critically injured in a powerful blast at a licensed crackers unit at Vetlapalem village of Samarlakota mandal on Saturday.

"Death toll is 21. One death after midnight," the official told PTI.

According to the police, the owner of Surya Sri Fire Works, Adabala Srinivas, was also among the dead.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, who called on the workers injured in the crackers unit blast and undergoing treatment at Kakinada Government General Hospital, observed that the owner of the crackers unit flouting rules led to the disaster.

He noted that an excess number of employees over the permitted number were engaged in work in view of festivals and fairs.

"It is deplorable that a workplace which has permission to employ eight people has engaged 31. Will tighten rules to avoid recurrence of this kind of incident in the future," said Kalyan in a press release.

According to the actor-politician, the government will bear the entire expenditure of treatment for the injured workers. PTI STH ADB