Amravati, 24 October (H.S.): Seven people, including a government schoolteacher, were killed in a powerful explosion near a road construction site in Andhra Pradesh’s Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) district on Saturday. Superintendent of Police Amit Bardar confirmed the deaths. The incident occurred near Pinakota village in Anantagiri mandal, and the intensity of the explosion severely damaged two vehicles. Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy and directed officials to conduct a thorough investigation into the cause of the incident.

According to the police, road construction work was underway near Pinakota, where preparations were being made to blast rocks. An incident involving a fire near a pickup vehicle carrying gelatin sticks was followed by a powerful explosion. Construction workers at the site and a woman teacher passing through the area were caught in the incident.

Preliminary accounts also suggest that workers at the construction site were preparing to transfer diesel and petrol from a pickup vehicle into a tipper truck. A vehicle reportedly caught fire suddenly, and the flames spread rapidly towards a nearby LPG cylinder, triggering a massive explosion. However, the precise cause of the incident has not yet been officially established.

Seven people have reportedly died in the incident. According to preliminary information, five victims died at the scene, while two others succumbed to their injuries during treatment at a hospital. The deceased included a vehicle driver, an assistant, a machine operator, road construction workers and a government schoolteacher.

The deceased teacher was identified as Sunita, a resident of Madhurawada in Visakhapatnam. She was reportedly passing near the construction site when the explosion occurred and was caught in the blast.

The other deceased have been identified as M. Manikant, Narayana Rao, Pawan Kumar, Praveen and Tinku. Tinku was reportedly a machine operator from Bihar, while Pawan Kumar was a native of Assam. The identity of the seventh victim has not yet been established. Further details about the deceased and their respective roles at the time of the incident are awaited.

Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan spoke to the district collector of Alluri Sitharama Raju district to obtain details of the incident. According to the collector’s preliminary account, a tipper truck carrying diesel for development work collided with another vehicle, following which an explosion occurred.

The initial information conveyed by the collector to the Deputy Chief Minister indicated that four people had died at the scene. Subsequently, Superintendent of Police Amit Bardar confirmed that the total death toll had risen to seven.

Expressing his condolences to the bereaved families, Kalyan said a detailed investigation was necessary to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and determine the actual cause of the explosion. He assured the affected families that the state government would stand firmly by them during this difficult time.

Conflicting accounts have emerged regarding the cause of the incident. Initial reports have suggested that a fire broke out while fuel was being transferred between vehicles and subsequently spread to an LPG cylinder. The district collector, however, provided a preliminary account indicating that the explosion occurred following a collision between two vehicles.

Given the reported presence of gelatin sticks at the construction site, investigators are also examining whether the explosive material played a role in the incident. It remains unclear whether the explosion originated from the fuel, an LPG cylinder, the gelatin sticks or a combination of factors.

The police are investigating the incident. The exact sequence of events and the cause of the tragedy are expected to become clearer once the investigation is completed.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar