Two killed in explosion in cracker stockpile in Varanasi

Lucknow : Two persons were killed and half-a-dozen others injured on Wednesday in Varanasi in an explosion in what seemed to be illegal stockpiling of fire crackers ahead of Diwali, police said.

The accident took place at a house in Lehartara locality, sources said.

The house where the incident took place is located near Lehartara flyover. Due to the impact of the explosion, the roof of the house caved in and many nearby houses developed cracks in their walls.

An NDRF team was rushed to the scene of the blast for rescue and relief operations.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Anand Kulkarni and police force from nearby police stations also rushed to the spot to oversee the rescue operation.

The injured have been admitted to the trauma centre where condition of two is stated to be critical.