NEW DELHI, Apr 13 (NNN-PTI) – At least two people were killed and 10 others injured, some of them critically, yesterday, after firecrackers triggered a fire and cylinder blast during a political party meeting, in the southern Indian state of Telangana, police said.
The accident took place at Cheemalapadu village in Khammam district, about 274 km east of Hyderabad, the capital city of Telangana.
Police said, the firecrackers were set off in honour of a lawmaker of Bharat Rashtra Samiti or BRS (India Nation Council) political party. Accidentally some of them landed on a hut, triggering a fire and blast of a Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinder.
“Splinters of firecrackers fell on a hut barely 200 metres from the venue, following which the hut caught fire. BRS workers and police officers rushed to douse the fire and the LPG cylinder blasted from inside,” a police officer said. “Two people were killed and 10 others injured.”
According to police, the injured were immediately removed to the nearest hospital and the critical ones were referred to Hyderabad for specialised treatment.
The deceased were identified as BRS political activists.
Accidental explosions are common in India as people usually ignore safety standards.– NNN-PTI
