At least six people died and eight are feared trapped under the debris, after a part of a house collapsed following an explosion inside the home of a firecracker businessman in Khudai Bagh village in Khaira police station area of Bihar's Saran district on Sunday.
The businessman running the illegal firecracker unit has been identified as Shabir Hussain and such was the intensity of the blast that a portion of the house blew up and the remaining part of the building caught fire.
The house is located on the banks of a river, into which a major part of it collapsed. As many as eight people are still feared trapped under the debris, while eight of the injured have been admitted to the Sadar hospital in Chhapra where their condition is stated to be critical.
"Six people dead after a house collapsed due to a blast in Chhapra. Efforts are being made to rescue people trapped under the debris. We're investigating the reason behind the explosion. Forensic team and Bomb disposal squad have also been called," said Santosh Kumar, Saran SP.
According to the police, firecrackers were made inside the house where the blast took place and explosions were heard continuously for an hour.
The businessman allegedly sold crackers illegally during marriages. It is alleged that the house was an illegal manufacturing unit for firecrackers, reports news agency PTI.
According to the report, the intensity of the explosion not only destroyed the house but also damaged the six adjoining houses. Cracks have appeared in more than six adjoining houses