Five killed in UP firecracker unit blast

Five people were killed and over a dozen injured when an explosion rocked a firecracker manufacturing unit in Uttar Pradesh Saturday, police said.

The explosion took place in Sisandi village on the outskirts of the state capital Lucknow, a police officer told IANS.

The injured were rushed to a hospital here, where the condition of four is stated to be critical.

Senior district officials, including district magistrate and senior superintendent of police, have rushed to the spot.

Police are trying to ascertain the cause of the blast, which prima facie appears to have been triggered by a left-over cigarette.

Sisandi has many firecracker manufacturing units and work is currently underway on a large scale as Diwali is around the corner.