Faisal Fareed
Daijiworld Media Network - Lucknow

Lucknow, Oct 12: A blast in a firecracker unit in Mauaima locality of Allahabad district claimed seven lives on Wednesday October 12. Another one dozen were injured in the incident.

The firecrackers were housed in a building which was razed to ground due to the impact of the explosion. The fire which ensued after the explosion also engulfed the neighbouring houses. More than half-a-dozen fire-tenders were rushed to the spot and the fire could be doused after nearly eight hours.

The firecracker unit was manufacturing for sale in the upcoming Diwali season. The license of the unit was in the name of Badurnisa and a person named Mohd Taiyyab managed the affairs. Due to the coming festival large quantity of gunpowder and other explosives were stored in the unit. Several shifts of workers were engaged to manufacture the fire crackers.

It all started with a minor fire which soon assumed dangerous proportions. The fire reached the godown where explosives were stored leading to a powerful explosion. Local administration claimed that action against suitable provisions of law will be taken against the defaulter.

The list of deceased include Kusum Devi (50), Dwarika Prasad, Ram Rati Devi (25), Bhuleshwar Ahmad (22),  Asma (14), Rahul (18), Irfan (10).