Toll In Explosion At Illegal Firecracker Unit In Odisha’s Khurda Rises To Five

Bhubaneswar: The toll in the explosion at an illegal firecracker manufacturing unit at Bhusandpur village under Tangi police limits in Odisha’s Khurda district touched five on Tuesday.

Dolagobinda Behera (60), who had suffered more than 60 per cent burn injuries, succumbed at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack.

Four men had died and as many were critically injured while making highly explosive firecrackers in an under-construction building in the middle of a paddy field for Dola Purnima and Holi celebrations exploded on Monday. The deceased were identified as Sahadeb Behera (75) of Khurda’s Nirakarpur, Brundaban Sahoo (38) of Puri’s Gadishagada and Niranjan Behera (35) and Baraju Behera (30) of Bhusandpur.

Khurda SP Siddharth Kataria said that no licence was granted for manufacturing firecrackers in that unit which was located on government land.

Two among the injured were admitted to SCB and the other two shifted to AIIMS-Bhubaneswar from district headquarters hospital due to deteriorating health condition. Besides Dolagobinda, two more injured have been identified as Maheswar Behera (24) and Sudarsan Behera (36). They too suffered more than 60 per cent burns.

What is more shocking is that a man had lost his palm while making firecrackers for Dola Purnima in the village last year.

Last week, three workers of an illegal cracker manufacturing unit were killed in the Jagatsinghpur district following a deadly explosion.