Two persons were killed and several others were injured when fireworks during a meeting of the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) triggered a blaze and a cooking gas cylinder explosion in Telangana's Khammam district, police said.


The accident occurred when the BRS workers burst firecrackers on Wednesday in Chemalapadu of Karepally Mandal. A nearby hut caught fire after one of the burning crackers fell on it. As a result of the fire, a cooking gas cylinder in the hut exploded, killing two people and injuring eight others, PTI reported.


The BRS workers had set off the firecrackers to welcome party leaders, including Khammam MP Nama Nageswara Rao and local MLA Ramulu Naik, at the event 'Atmiya Sammelan’ that was arranged near the Singareni collieries area.


Also read | Telangana: Brace For Scorching Heat As IMD Predicts Temperatures Up To 40 Degrees In Coming Days


Two journalists and a policeman were among those injured. The incident sent panic among the local people. The injured were shifted to the nearby government hospital in the vehicles of the BRS leaders.


MP Nageswara Rao said that the incident had nothing to do with the party meeting. He said the incident occurred 200 metres away from the meeting venue.


Nageswara Rao said the LPG cylinder exploded when people were trying to put out the fire in the hut. "It happened just as we arrived at the venue. I have visited the injured at the hospital and have asked doctors to refer them to Hyderabad if their condition becomes critical. They said that they were trying to stabilize the injured and then refer them to super speciality hospitals," the MP said as quoted by The Indian Express.


BRS supremo and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao expressed grief over the tragic incident. The Chief Minister assured all assistance and support to the bereaved families of the deceased, an official release said.


READ | Singareni Collieries Team Visits Vizag Steel Plant To Examine Possibility Of Bidding


(With inputs from ABP Desam — It is a Telugu platform of ABP News. For more news, commentary and latest happenings from two Telugu states, follow https://telugu.abplive.com//amp)