Eleven people were killed when a fire broke out in a firecracker manufacturing unit-cum-warehouse in Telangana's Warangal Rural district on Wednesday, police said.
Five others were injured in the incident that occurred in the Bhadrakali firecracker unit in Koti Lingala, near Warangal town.
Deputy Chief Minister Kadiam Srihari told reporters at the site that four fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the flames that broke out around noon.
The impact of the series of blasts was such that the entire unit was razed to the ground and nearby houses were also damaged. The bodies were charred beyond recognition.
The blasts triggered panic among residents, who ran for safety. Senior officials of the district administration rushed to the spot and launched rescue and relief operations.
Warangal Rural District Collector M. Haritha said they were trying to find as to how many workers were present in the unit at the time of the blaze.
People in the area said 25 to 30 people were employed in the unit and at the time of the fire and at least 15 to 20 were inside at the time of the fire. Majority of the workers were said to be women.
The cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained.
Haritha, who is supervising the rescue and relief operations, said the Revenue Department officials would conduct a probe.
Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao expressed shock over the loss of lives. He announced Rs 5 lakh ex-gratia each for the families of the deceased.
He said the government would bear the expenses for the treatment of the injured.
Congress tied hands of our soldiers, we gave them full freedom to retaliate: PM Modi
"We have asked our jawans to fire 10 bullets in response to one," said PM Modi while addressing a rally in the Chambal region of Morena.
First time after resettlement, 10248 Brus in North Tripura to cast vote on April 26
First time after the official resettlement, at least 10248 Brus in North Tripura district will cast their vote on April 26 to decide the fate of candidates for East Tripura Parliamentary Constituency.
Woman kidnapped, gang-raped in Bengaluru, five arrested
In a shocking case, a 23-year-old woman was kidnapped and gang-raped in Bengaluru, said police on Thursday, adding that five accused have been arrested.
Mahadev betting scam: Actress Tamannaah Bhatia summoned by Maha Police
Bollywood actress Tamannaah Bhatia has been summoned by the Maharashtra Cyber Police for the ongoing investigations into the multi-crore Mahadev online gambling and betting scam, officials here said on Thursday.
IAF's remotely piloted aircraft crashes in Jaisalmer, probe ordered
An Indian Air Force aircraft crashed in Jajia village near Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, confirmed officials here.
Six of family killed as car rams into parked truck in Telangana
Six members of a family were killed and two injured when a car in which they were travelling rammed into a stationary truck on the Hyderabad-Vijayawada national highway in the early hours of Thursday, police said.
Hundreds of students arrested across US in surging pro-Palestine protests
Hundreds of students have been arrested on US campuses as protests against Washington’s support for Israel are surging sea to sea.
Pradyot slams CPI(M) for neglecting tribal issues in Tripura
The founder of BJP’s alliance partner TIPRA Motha Pradyot Kishore Deb Burman on Wednesday targeted the CPI(M) in Tripura and said that the former government had failed to address the issues of tribals in the state.