Andhra Pradesh firecracker unit blast: Gone in a flash fire Premium

A devastating firecracker factory explosion in Andhra Pradesh killed 28 workers, highlighting severe safety violations and tragic losses.

For Thumpala Lova, 38, the morning of February 28 was like any other, recalls her son Narendra. She woke up before dawn to devotional songs drifting from the 9th-century Kumara Bhimeswaraswamy temple on the outskirts of Vetlapalem village in Kakinada district, Andhra Pradesh. Trains rumbled along the tracks behind their house.

Within an hour, Lova had cooked lunch for herself and for Narendra, a 20-year-old construction worker. Wearing her favourite rose-coloured saree, she set out to work.

By 8 a.m., Narendra, who drove a two-wheeler, dropped her off near the irrigation canal that branches out from the Godavari river. Lova waded through the shallow waters to reach Sri Surya Fireworks, where she earned ₹450 a day. The construction site where Narendra worked was barely 100 metres from the firecracker unit. His wages contributed to keeping the family afloat.

That afternoon, soon after lunch at around 2:10, Narendra heard an explosion. Then, two more in quick succession. A deafening roar rose from the direction of Sri Surya Fireworks. In seconds, the complex was reduced to rubble.

The force of the blasts hurled bodies across the landscape. Some landed in the irrigation canal; others were flung into surrounding paddy fields. Of the 31 workers present at the site, 20 died on the spot. Eight workers succumbed to injuries in hospital. Three survivors are on ventilator support at the Government General Hospital in Kakinada.

Within hours of the blast, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu visited the site and met grieving families at the community health centre in Samarlakota. He announced ₹20 lakh ex gratia for each deceased worker’s family, along with housing, educational support, and livelihood assistance. He said that the accused would face charges that could attract life imprisonment and that their properties might be auctioned to compensate victims. Home Minister V. Anitha and District Collector S. Shan Mohan handed over cheques to families.