Five people, including two women, were charred to death and 10 others sustained severe burns in an explosion at a licenced fire crackers manufacturing unit at Gokulpadu village under S Rayavaram police station limits in Visakhapatnam district on Sunday.
The unit is located amidst agricultural fields in the village. The blast occurred at around 5.10pm. Villagers rushed to the cracker unit after they heard a deafening sound. Within minutes the entire unit was burnt down. The bodies of five workers were charred beyond recognition. The locals managed to pull out the injured and shifted them to hospital. The condition of five of the injured, who received third degree burns, is said to be critical.
The unit owner, Nooka Raju, is reportedly absconding. The deceased have been identified as N Satyavathi, 28, L Seshamma, 40, S Ramana, 27, S Lakshmi, 50, and M Satti Babu, 45. While Satti Babu belonged to Payakraopeta, others hailed from Gokulapadu village.