10 Dead In Blast In Warangal Cracker Godown

Ten workers were charred to death and several others suffered critical burns when fire broke out in the Bhadrakali crackers godown at the Kashibugga area in Kotilingala village of Warangal district today.

According to reports, the fire occurred at 1:30 pm, and fire service personnel rushed to the spot immediately trying to douse the inferno, but could not stop the deaths. Two fire tenders were initially pressed into service, but they were incapable of putting out all the pockets of fire, and additional fire tenders were rushed to the spot.

Reports said that over 20 people entered the godown to clean it, and after some time huge flames erupted in the godown. Eight workers managed to escape the spot miraculously almost immediately, but the rest were not so lucky. The deceased were identified as Vinod, Radhika, Yellamma, Ashok, Raghupathi, Kanaka Raj, Shravani, Srivani, Manemma and Harikrishna. Their bodies, and the injured, were shifted to the MGM government hospital. Most of the victims were daily wage workers from very poor families.

The deafening sounds of the crackers blasting sent shockwaves among the people in the village. The entire roof of the godown was blown away and the structure flattened. Several houses were also damaged in the incident. Ten 2-wheelers and a car parked near the factory were also burnt, and an SUV had its windows blown off and its body suffered severe damage.

An old woman living nearby was also admitted to the hospital due to injuries from pieces of the asbestos roof of her dwelling which too was destroyed by the impact of the blast.

High-ranking police and revenue officials too visited the spot and launched relief operations. Local MLA Challa Dharma Reddy, District Collector Haritha and Police Commissioner Ravinder were among the people that inspected the area.

Witnesses said that the damage could have been more had the fire spread to a cooking gas cylinder godown near the firecracker godown.

The entire village was plunged into a sea of gloom after the incident.