Four injured in cracker blast

Rayagada: Fourpersons suffered burn injuries in a firecracker explosion in Rayagada district early on Wednesday, police said. The incident took place around 2 am in Yedusahi, a settlement of Telugu-speaking people who were celebrating ‘Bhogi Podi’ ahead of Makar Sankranti.

As part of the celebrations, a fire was lit around which people stood and offered prayer. The accident occurred when someone allegedly dumped a large number of crackers on fire, leading to an explosion.

Glass panels and windows of several houses were shattered due to the high intensity of the explosion. Four persons were injured in the incident and rushed to the district headquarters hospital. Two of them were critical and later shifted to a hospital in Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh.