Amaravati, Feb 28 || At least 20 people were killed and 15 others injured in a massive explosion in a firecracker manufacturing unit near Samarlakota in Kakinada district of Andhra Pradesh on Saturday.
The incident occurred around 2 p.m. at Suryashri Fireworks, near the Godavari canal in Vetlapalem, in Samarlakota mandal, police said.
Labour minister Vamsetti Subhash confirmed that 20 people died. He termed the incident unfortunate.
Such was the impact of the explosion that the bodies of workers were thrown into the adjoining agricultural fields.
Panic gripped people in the surrounding villages as huge flames engulfed the crackers unit, triggering dense smoke. According to local people, explosions were heard up to 5 kilometres away.
The explosion shattered the windows of houses in nearby villages. The slab at a school in a nearby village developed cracks.
Firefighting personnel with two fire engines and other equipment rushed to the scene and were trying to douse the fire with the help of police and other departments.