post news network
Balipatna, Nov 1: A couple was killed and at least five rooms were destroyed when firecrackers went off at Bhakarsahi under Balipatna police limits Thursday.
The deceased were identified as Gyanendra Mishra, 40, and his wife Jhunu Mishra, 36, of the village. According to sources, the Mishra couple was manufacturing firecrackers illegally at their residence and supplying them to several vendors for the past several years.
According to sources, firecrackers exploded accidentally when the Mishra couple was in a storehouse for the explosives around mid-day.
The explosion was so powerful that the bodies of the couple were blown to pieces and scattered up to a radius of 200 metres from their house.
The couple’s two rooms and three rooms of their neighbour Jitendra Mishra were damaged in the explosion. Two motorcycles were also damaged in the incident, said the sources.
According to the villagers, the explosions were heard up to 10 kilometres. “We heard the blast and ran for cover. The incident created panic among the villagers,” said a local.
It is learnt that the couple’s two daughters were away from their home when the incident occurred. “One of the daughters had gone to a relative’s house while the other was at school at the time of the explosions,” said a villager.
Notably, Gyanendra’s elder brother Chaita Mishra had died due to cracker explosions in 1999.
Police, meanwhile, have reached the spot and initiated an investigation into the incident.
“We have started investigation into the matter after registering a case. The body of the husband is yet to be traced. The family members and relatives are reluctant to reveal anything about the matter. We will find out whether they had bought the crackers or were actually making them and the reasons behind the blast. Apparently, the family has no licence to make or sell crackers,” Balipatna police station IIC Akash Ch Rana told Orissa POST.