Barabanki: Two people were killed and five others seriously injured after a powerful explosion ripped through a firecracker factory in Barabanki district adjoining Lucknow on Thursday afternoon. The blast occurred around 2 pm in Sarai Barai village under Tikaitnagar police station area, sending shockwaves across a two-kilometre radius.
The explosion was so intense that the bodies of the two victims were torn apart. One of them was found nearly 100 metres away in a nearby field with his intestines exposed. The blast also caused cracks in nearby houses, triggering panic among residents.
Soon after the explosion, fire broke out in the factory and spread to nearby structures, making the situation worse. Several fire tenders and a heavy police force rushed to the spot, but rescuers could not enter the site immediately as smaller explosions continued to go off inside the building. Firefighters managed to bring the blaze under control after an hour of effort.
District Magistrate Shashank Tripathi, SP Arpit Vijayvargiya, and Ayodhya Range IG Praveen Kumar reached the spot to supervise the rescue operation and assess the situation. The injured were rushed to a nearby hospital where their condition is stated to be critical.
The deceased have been identified as Ishwarlal and one other person, while those injured include Khalid, son of the factory owner Tahir, along with Kallu and Salman.
According to officials, the factory was owned by Mohammad Tahir and located around 500 metres from the village in an open field near Ram Sanehi Ghat tehsil, about 60 km from the district headquarters. It was used to manufacture and store fireworks. Workers were busy preparing firecrackers when the explosion took place at 2:10 pm.
Eyewitnesses said the explosion was so loud that it was heard several kilometres away. Villagers claimed that complaints had been made earlier against the factory, but no significant action was taken by the authorities.
SDM Anurag Singh said the factory had a valid licence to make fireworks till March 31, 2026. “The unit was inspected before Diwali and everything was found in order. The exact cause of the fire and explosion is under investigation,” he said.