An explosion in an illegal firecracker manufacturing unit in Payag village in West Bengal’s Purba Medinipur district on Sunday night left one person severely injured and damaged around five houses in the area.
The house that accommodated the firecracker factory was reduced to rubble after its walls collapsed and the roof blew off in the explosion.
The blast took place at around 10.30 p.m. on Sunday. Police personnel and two firefighting units rushed to the spot and with much effort, brought the fire under control. The police have initiated an investigation into the incident.
The village now bears a deserted look as people living in the factory’s vicinity fled the area the next morning. Locals claimed that multiple houses in the area were engaged in the manufacture of firecrackers without acquiring the proper licence.
According to the police, the house belonged to one Ananda Maity.
In the past few years, explosions in firecracker factories have taken multiple lives across the State. On May 16 last year, a blast in an illegal firecracker factory at Khadikul village in Purba Medinipur’s Egra subdivision killed 11 persons, including the factory owner. Following the disaster, the Mamata Banerjee government gave ₹2.5 lakh compensation each to families of the victims and a job to one eligible family member.
In 2023, between May 16 and May 23, a total of 16 people succumbed to burns and injuries sustained in explosions in three separate illegal firecracker units and warehouses in West Bengal. In August 2023, an explosion at an illegal firecracker factory in the Duttapukur area of North 24 Parganas district claimed seven lives.
