<p>Hyderabad: A nearby village festival and the ongoing wedding season, with bulk orders piling up, turned fatal for the families of 21 workers killed in Saturday's blast at a fireworks unit in Vetlapalem, Kakinada district of Andhra Pradesh. The explosion was so intense that iron beams of the sheds melted, leaving bodies beyond recognition. Families identified victims using watches, anklets, and clothes. Police are yet to identify some remains. Even the unit owner's father, Adabala Sreenu, perished and owner Adabala Veerababu is absconding.</p><p>Both undivided Godavari districts are hubs for fireworks manufacturing in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Beyond Deepavali, fireworks feature at weddings and village festivals, keeping units busy year-round not just during Deepavali. At Suryashree Fireworks, workers toiled round-the-clock on extended shifts to fulfill a major order for the 'Singaramma Chintha Jathara' festival, slated for March 3 in a nearby village. Bulk wedding orders lined up until May's end fueled the frenzy.</p><p>“My father had just left home after lunch. Within half an hour, I heard of the fire mishap. When I rushed here, I couldn't even identify him,” said a weeping son.</p>.At least 20 people dead in Andhra Pradesh's Kakinada fireworks factory blast.<p>The wedding season had only recently begun after a long spell of inauspicious months. The auspicious period ends by May's close, ushering in another lull with no weddings. This sudden rush overwhelmed cracker units nearby. Suryashree, locally famous and operating for over two decades, had extra orders and many workers had logged 15 years of employment there.</p><p>With so many orders, workers pulled overtime for days, earning Rs 1,500–2,000 daily for 6 am–8 pm shifts.</p><p>“Excess raw material stock, likely above permissible limits is suspected, given the orders. Fire safety measures were nominal, inadequate for such mishaps. The inquiry will probe all this,” said a senior government official.</p><p>The accident is Andhra Pradesh's deadliest in over a decade. A similar tragedy struck in October 2014, when an explosion at Vakatippa village near Kakinada claimed 16 lives. Since then, at least 80 have died in firecracker accidents. Though many units now hold licenses, questions linger on workforce training, safety protocol adherence, and explosive storage.</p><p>Around 66 licensed fireworks units dot both Godavari districts, plus many unauthorized small ones. They typically sit on village outskirts, in agricultural fields or coconut orchards. Organizers lease or use own land, level it, and set up after licensing.</p>
<p>Hyderabad: A nearby village festival and the ongoing wedding season, with bulk orders piling up, turned fatal for the families of 21 workers killed in Saturday's blast at a fireworks unit in Vetlapalem, Kakinada district of Andhra Pradesh. The explosion was so intense that iron beams of the sheds melted, leaving bodies beyond recognition. Families identified victims using watches, anklets, and clothes. Police are yet to identify some remains. Even the unit owner's father, Adabala Sreenu, perished and owner Adabala Veerababu is absconding.</p><p>Both undivided Godavari districts are hubs for fireworks manufacturing in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Beyond Deepavali, fireworks feature at weddings and village festivals, keeping units busy year-round not just during Deepavali. At Suryashree Fireworks, workers toiled round-the-clock on extended shifts to fulfill a major order for the 'Singaramma Chintha Jathara' festival, slated for March 3 in a nearby village. Bulk wedding orders lined up until May's end fueled the frenzy.</p><p>“My father had just left home after lunch. Within half an hour, I heard of the fire mishap. When I rushed here, I couldn't even identify him,” said a weeping son.</p>.At least 20 people dead in Andhra Pradesh's Kakinada fireworks factory blast.<p>The wedding season had only recently begun after a long spell of inauspicious months. The auspicious period ends by May's close, ushering in another lull with no weddings. This sudden rush overwhelmed cracker units nearby. Suryashree, locally famous and operating for over two decades, had extra orders and many workers had logged 15 years of employment there.</p><p>With so many orders, workers pulled overtime for days, earning Rs 1,500–2,000 daily for 6 am–8 pm shifts.</p><p>“Excess raw material stock, likely above permissible limits is suspected, given the orders. Fire safety measures were nominal, inadequate for such mishaps. The inquiry will probe all this,” said a senior government official.</p><p>The accident is Andhra Pradesh's deadliest in over a decade. A similar tragedy struck in October 2014, when an explosion at Vakatippa village near Kakinada claimed 16 lives. Since then, at least 80 have died in firecracker accidents. Though many units now hold licenses, questions linger on workforce training, safety protocol adherence, and explosive storage.</p><p>Around 66 licensed fireworks units dot both Godavari districts, plus many unauthorized small ones. They typically sit on village outskirts, in agricultural fields or coconut orchards. Organizers lease or use own land, level it, and set up after licensing.</p>