Bhopal, Nov 28 (IANS): The blast in Madhya Pradesh's Morena district, which claimed the lives of four people, was caused due to illegally stored firecrackers in the building, police said on Thursday.

Addressing media persons, Morena SP Sameer Saurabh said firecrackers and raw materials had been stored illegally on the ground floor of the building since Diwali.

He said during the investigation, it was revealed that building owner Akash Rathore along with Saddam Hussain were operating an illegal business of firecrackers.

Police officials further informed that eight people, including family members of the owner of the house, have been arrested so far in connection with a blast.

Arrested persons were identified as Akash Rathore, Pankaj Rathore, Krishna Rathore, Saddam Hussain, Bhuri Khan, Pappu alias Shaukeen Khan, Iqbal Khan, and Rahul Bansal.

Of these, Akash Rathore, Pankaj Rathore, and Saddam Hussain were arrested and presented before a court on Wednesday. These accused revealed that materials required for making explosives were stored.

On Wednesday, Minister Karan Singh Verma and Assembly Speaker Narendra Singh Tomar, who is also Morena MP, handed over Rs two lakh cheque to the kin of the deceased.

The blast occurred at Rathore Colony on Tanch Road in Morena on Monday night.

The explosion occurred in the house of Munshi Rathore which was rented to a Kushwaha family.

The deceased have been identified as Vidya Rathore, 58, and Pooja Rathore, 29, who lived in a house adjacent to the one where the explosion took place, and Baijanti Kushwaha, 61, and Vimla Kushwaha, 38, who lived on the first floor of the house they rented from Munshi Rathore.