Six persons, including two women, were killed and at least 14 people sustained severe burn injuries in a blast at a cracker factory in Karnal at around 9:30 pm on Monday.
Among the injured, four people are in a critical condition and have been referred to PGIMER, Chandigarh.
Karnal Deputy Commissioner Neelam P Kasni, after visiting the spot and the injured at the Civil Hospital, said a detailed inquiry has been ordered into the incident.
Senior police officials said there were around 50-60 workers present in the factory at the time of blast and most of the deceased and injured hailed from Uttar Pradesh or West Bengal.
The blast occured after a fire broke out in one of the biggest cracker factories in Haryana.
The exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained but preliminary inspection conducted by the fire department indicated that a spark in one corner of the factory where crackers were dumped led to the fire and the blast.
It took fire fighters more than an hour to bring the fire under control.
Kasni told reporters that the injured were being taken care of at the Karnal Civil Hospital and also at a few private hospitals.
“It was a deafening noise and it took some time to realise that it was a blast,” Kasni said.
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