At least eight people died and ten others were injured in a massive explosion in a firecracker factory in Kaushambi district on Sunday. The blast took place around 12 noon at Mahewa village in the Kokhraj police station area and was heard several kilometres from the factory, police said. Soon after information was received about the explosion, 10 fire-tenders and ambulances were rushed to the spot, officials said. Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) of Prayagraj Zone Bhanu Bhaskar said, The cracker factory belonged to one Shahid (35). He was also killed in the blast along with seven others. As per information shared by the office of UP relief commissioner, four deceased were identified as Shiv Narayan, Shivkant, Ashok Kumar and Jaichandra. Efforts are being made to identify the four other deceased, police said. According to the ADGP, around 18 people were working at the factory when the blast took place. Prima facie it appears that the blast occurred following a fire in the chemicals kept there. Ten fire-tenders were sent to the spot to douse the fire, the ADGP said. As per locals, the blast was so powerful that it dismembered limbs of the deceased and the injured were thrown several metres away from the site. Kaushambis Superintendent of Police Brijesh Kumar Srivastava informed the media that the people who were affected by the accident were those who were working in the firecracker factory. According to him, the firecracker factory operator has a licence to make firecrackers and the factory is located far away from the residential area. On the late arrival of fire-tenders, he said that the fire brigade personnel were on duty at another location at the time of the accident and as soon as the information was received, they were rushed to the spot. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has taken cognizance of this accident. He has expressed condolences to the bereaved families of the deceased. Also, instructions have been given to the officials to speed up the relief work. Chief Minister Yogi has said that the injured should be given proper treatment.

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