One person was killed and several others were feared injured in an explosion in an illegal firecracker factory under the Belpahar police station in the district on Thursday.
The deceased identified as Sushant Dhurua (25), a resident of Belpahar, was working as a labourer in the cracker factory.
The intensity of the explosion was so powerful that one foot of Sushant was found lying around 200 metre away from the cracker unit, sources said.
The incident took place when the manufacturing of crackers was in progress. One of the cracker sheds was completely damaged in the explosion.
Getting information, police, a forensic team and fire tenders rushed to the spot as several people are suspected to be trapped under the debris.
The preliminary probe suggested that the youth died while he entered into one of the cracker godowns for cleaning work. After he opened the door, suddenly the crackers exploded. As the debris has not been cleared so far, one person is believed to have been killed in the incident, a police official said.
He said the cracker manufacturing unit was operating in the area for the past 15 years. Earlier, the unit was running inside a village. Now, it was shifted to an isolated area. The matter was being investigated to unearth more information, he added.
