Three members lost life after explosion in firecrackers godown

Three members of a family lost their lives when firecrackers, meant for sale during Diwali, exploded at a house in Andhra Pradesh's East Godavari district on Saturday, police said.

The blast is believed to have been caused by a short-circuit that triggered a fire around 3 am.

The crackers were hoarded in the residence of Muthuyala Reddy at Subbaraopeta area of Rajamahendravaram, a police officer said. Three persons of a family died on the spot and as many injured.

They are undergoing treatment at a hospital and said to be critical, the officer said, adding that a case had been registered and an investigation was on. Deputy Chief Minister N Chinarajappa expressed grief over the incident and ordered an inquiry into it.

Meanwhile, a Circle Inspector attached to Prakash Nagar area where the blast occurred, was suspended late Saturday.

A police release said Eluru Range DIG T Ravi Kumar Murthy issued the suspension order to CI Suryabhaskar Rao for not ensuring that precautionary steps were taken in connection with the preparation of the firecrackers.