2 dead, 5 hurt in cracker material blast

AGRA: Two unidentified men were killed while five others were gravely injured after a high-intensity explosion ripped apart a stationary autorickshaw on a road. A sack full of explosives for firecrackers, being ferried by a man on a bicycle, ex-ploded, leading to the man’s death, while the bicycle was completely mangled.
The incident took place at around 1:20 pm just 20 metres from Jagdispura police station in Agra city.The sound and impact of the explosion was so high that tremors were felt at nearby shops in a 50-metre diameter. Speaking to TOI, superintendent of police for Agra city Sushil Ghule said, “The explosion occurred while a man was ferrying a sack of explosive material for firecrackers on a bicycle. Six men were injured while the man carrying the explosive was killed. Later another man succumbed to his injury at S N Medical College.”
He said, “Forensic team and bomb squad have collected samples of explosives from the spot and prima facie it seems to be material used for firecrackers. Though to be doubly sure, we are sending a set of collected samples to Lucknow forensic laboratory. Meanwhile, our officers have been dispatched to various nearby firecracker factories to find out the source of explosive material and identity of the deceased man who was carrying it.”
The injured men were identified as Suresh Chandra Sehgal, Nawab Khan, Vakil, Satyapal and Raes. Identities of the two dead men have not been established yet. A similar incident took place last year during Diwali, when explosive material being carried in a minivan had burst on the Agra-Firozabad highway. In the incident, the man who was ferrying the explosive was killed while several others were injured. In 2014, Dhaura village close to Nagla Kharga reported a fire in a cracker storehouse, in which two people were killed and several others injured.
There are hundreds of illegal small-scale factories in Agra villages, which manufacture country-made fire crackers. On Thursday in Dhaura village of Etmadpur, a massive explosion was heard, but authorities could not find its source. Later sub-divisional magistrate Rajnikant along with police seized over a tonne of firecrackers from the village. There are 55 small units in Agra district which are authorized to manufacture and store crackers up to 650 kg. There are 10 magazines (storehouses) in Agra which store up to two lakh kg of explosive powder.