Fire at Telangana firecracker factory kills 11

At least 11 workers were killed and a few others were injured when a warehouse of a firecracker factory caught fire in Warangal district of Telangana Wednesday morning.

Police said that ten workers died on the spot when a fire broke out in the warehouse at Kotilingala village while another person died in the hospital. Fire and emergency services rushed to the scene to bring the fire under control and shift the injured to the police station.

Police officials said that the toll could increase as there were 20 people working in the warehouse when the accident took place. Warangal police commissioner Vishwanathar Ravinder and others rushed to the scene of the mishap to over see the rescue operation.

The blast was so powerful that the entire buildings of the warehouse came crashing down. Those killed were burnt beyond recognition. Officials said that some bodies could be in the debris of the building. The warehouse belonged to Bhadrakali fire works company.  As the fire broke out and crackers started exploding some of the workers managed to flee from the place while others remained stuck inside.

Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao expressed his deep shock over the incident and announced all possible help to the victims and their families. He said that while the family of every deceased will get an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakhs, the Government will bear the entire cost of the treatment of the injured. He ordered the officials to probe and establish the cause of the blast.