Jagatsinghpur: In a tragic mishap, a couple died while two others sustained critical injuries after major parts of their house collapsed due to a suspected firecracker explosion at a village in Odisha’s Jagatsinghpur district.
As per preliminary information, the incident took place at Badabag village under the jurisdiction of Sadar police station late on Friday. The roof and walls of the house collapsed under the impact of the explosion, suspected to have occurred during firecracker making.
The deceased were identified as Rajesh Das and his wife Rani. Those injured in the explosion have been identified as Rajesh’s younger brother Paresh and his wife Lakshmipriya. They are undergoing treatment at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack.
On being informed, teams of police, fire service and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) rushed to the site to conduct rescue efforts. The trapped family members were pulled out of the debris and sent to a nearby hospital for urgent medical attention.
The police have launched an investigation to determine the exact cause of the explosion and ascertain whether legal or illegal fireworks were involved. Jagatsinghpur Superintendent of Police (SP) said a thorough investigation is underway.
Efforts are on to ascertain whether the explosion was caused by firecrackers, he said.
