A fire-cracker explosion caused by a suspected electrical short circuit claimed three lives near Lalacheruvu in Rajahmundry early on Saturday. Three persons were seriously injured.
The deceased were identified as D. Suryakantam (65), D. Dhanalakshmi (35) and Vinay Reddy (17). The condition of one of the injured, Durga Reddy, is stated to be critical.
Rajahmundry rural MLA Gorantla Butchaiah Chowdary, Eluru range DIG T. Ravi Kumar Murthy, urban SP Shemushi Bajpayee and Godavari Urban Development Authority chairman Ganni Krishna visited the spot and inquired about the incident.
According to the police, Mutyala Reddy, an auto-rickshaw driver, and his family members were making crackers for Deepavali in their thatched house at Subbaraopeta when the mishap took place.
A large stock of the highly inflammable material caught fire due to the short-circuit and exploded within no time.
There was no permission to make the crackers, besides, no precautionary measures were taken, officials said.
Mutyala Reddy’s mother Suryakantam and wife Dhanalakshmi died on the spot as their dwelling collapsed under the impact of the blast and his son Vinay Reddy died at the GGH.
The Police and the Fire Services departments booked cases against Mr. Mutyala Reddy for storing the crackers without licence and for being responsible for the incident.