A woman and her three-year-old daughter were killed, and another family member was left fighting for her life with critical burn injuries after a firecracker explosion ripped through a house near Cuttack on Thursday evening, February 19, police said.
The incident took place at Mahajanpur village under Jagatpur police station limits of the district.
The deceased were identified as Sudhansubala Nayak and her daughter Stitaprangya Nayak. Bharati Nayak suffered serious injuries in the blast, police said.
All three victims were immediately rushed to the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack. However, Sudhansubala and her chold succumbed to their injuries while undergoing treatment. Police said that Bharati Nayak remains in critical condition and has been placed on ventilator support.
Preliminary investigations by the police suggest that the family had stored a significant quantity of firecrackers and was actively engaged in manufacturing them inside the residence when the explosion occurred.
The force of the blast was so intense that it caused extensive damage to two rooms of the house, caving in portions of the roof and leaving deep cracks in the walls, police added.
An investigation into the matter is underway to ascertain the exact cause of the mishap.
