Lucknow: Two teenagers, Paras (15) and Dipanshu (14), were killed and a 40-year-old man, Bittu, was critically injured after firecrackers stored in boxes for wedding exploded at a two-storey house at Kailawada in Khatauli area of UP’s Muzaffarnagar.
The intensity of the blast was such that it blew off the entire roof and completely damaged the second floor and caused cracks on the walls of the adjoining house in the residential area, police said. According to locals, all three were rushed to a nearby hospital where Paras and Dipanshu were “declared dead” while “Bittu is critical”.
SHO of Khatauli, Mukesh Kumar, said, “As per initial probe, the firecrackers, to be used for wedding, were stored in the house of a man named Shadab who was involved in marriage preparations. The two dead were part of Shadab’s team and were in the room with Bittu.”
“Shadab’s uncle, Haseen Ahmed, has a licence for sale and storage of firecrackers, and hence, some of it was stored there,” said a police officer investigating the case. “All three of them, with severe burn injuries, were found buried under the debris of the fallen roof. The bodies were sent for autopsy. It seems only three people were there at the time. We are trying to find out how the fire started.”
DSP (Khatauli), Ravi Shankar Mishra, said, “The two boys were from the same village. A few people from the neighbourhood were detained for questioning. Investigations are on and all angles are being looked into.”
“We heard a loud bang. Smoke then started coming out from Shadab’s house and we ran towards the place. Fire tenders arrived and brought the fire under control,” said Sher Khan, a neighbour.
