At least 11 workers were killed and many seriously injured Monday after a fire broke out in a firecracker manufacturing unit in Uppada Kothapalli village in East Godavari district. District Collector Neetu Prasad, who visited the spot, said, “There was a sudden blast. Eleven workers at the unit, including nine women, were killed in the incident that occurred at around 2.45 pm.” Indicating that the toll may go up, V Srinivas, a special branch inspector, said: “Negligence may have caused the fire. The workers could not escape when the raw material exploded. We have shifted seven persons to Kakinada government hospital.’’ (With PTI inputs)
