Smoke billows following an explosion at a crackers unit at Vetlapalem village in Kakinada district, Andhra Pradesh, on February 28, 2026. Photo: Special Arrangement
Twenty workers, including nine women, were burnt alive, and nine others are battling for their lives with severe burn injuries in a blast at the Sri Surya Firecrackers complex at Vetlapalem village in Samarlakota mandal in Andhra Pradesh’s Kakinada district on Saturday afternoon.
Two other injured persons are reported to be out of danger. All the deceased and the injured belong to nearby villages.
The explosion occurred around 2.30 p.m. when 31 workers were…