Bhubaneswar, Oct 8 (IANS) In a tragic incident, two members of a family died while three others sustained injuries in an alleged firecracker explosion under the Tirtol police station area of Jagatsinghpur district in Odisha on Thursday.
The deceased were identified as 55-year-old Manoranjan Swain and his 22-year-old son, Soumya Sahil Swain, residents of Mahilo village in the Tirtol area of Jagatsinghpur district.
Manoranjan’s wife and sister-in-law sustained minor injuries in the explosion.
Meanwhile, Rahul Raj Mohant, a native of Mayurbhanj district and a mathematics teacher at the local high school where the deceased’s niece studies, sustained serious injuries.
Mohant had been invited by Manoranjan’s family for lunch at their house on Thursday.
He is currently undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar.
Police sources said the explosion occurred at around 1 p.m. on Thursday.
The blast was so powerful that the room was almost destroyed, while its roof and walls were also severely damaged.
Speaking to IANS, Tirtol Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Ajaya Kumar Das said the deceased were engaged in the business of supplying sound and lighting systems for various religious and social functions in the locality.
He said residents informed the police that the father-son duo was also occasionally involved in the sale of firecrackers, particularly during Diwali, marriage ceremonies and other festive occasions.
They had recently procured firecrackers in view of the upcoming festive season.
“The room where the explosion occurred contained three gas cylinders, firecrackers, a DG machine and lighting systems. Therefore, we suspect that the explosion might have been caused either by a gas cylinder or by firecrackers,” Das said.
He added that the police strongly suspected the firecrackers could have been the actual cause of the explosion.
The SDPO further said that officials of the Fire Services Department and a scientific team from the district police had visited the spot and launched an investigation to ascertain the exact cause of the explosion.
–IANS
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