Eight people, including two women, have been killed and at least seven others injured in a powerful explosion at a firecracker manufacturing unit in Anakapalli district of Andhra Pradesh.
The explosion occurred around 12.45 PM at Kotavuratla village and the injured were shifted to hospitals.
Police officials and emergency services were rushed to the scene after the accident. Meanwhile, the rescue operations were underway.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the incident.
In a post on 'X', the prime minister said, "Deeply saddened by the loss of lives in a factory mishap in Anakapalli district of Andhra Pradesh. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon. The local administration is assisting those affected."
"An ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs 50,000," he added.
Andhra Pradesh Home Minister V Anitha said eight people, including two women, died and seven others were injured in the fire accident.
The blast ripped through the licensed crackers manufacturing unit functioning under an asbestos roof, where 15 people were reportedly present.
An eyewitness said that charred body parts were scattered around at the site of the accident, making identification difficult.
Meanwhile, the postmortem of the five deceased is underway at a local hospital in Narsipatnam and three more at Anakapalle district hospital.
Out of the six injured persons referred to King George Hospital (KGH) in Vizag, four have recovered, while two remain in critical condition.
Andhra Pradesh Governor S Abdul Nazeer expressed grief over the blast and directed officials to ensure proper medical care to the injured.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu also expressed shock over the incident and directed Home Minister Anitha and district officials to ensure proper medical care for the injured.
The chief minister has also ordered an inquiry into the incident and asked officials to submit a report to him.
The state government has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 15 lakh to each of the deceased family. YSRCP chief Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy also expressed shock and urged the government to support the victims. He asked his party leaders to extend all possible assistance.