Firozabad: In a tragic incident in Firozabad, Uttar Pradesh, four people, including a three-year-old girl and a woman, lost their lives after an explosion at a firecracker factory on Monday night. The blast occurred in the Naushera area under the jurisdiction of the Shikohabad police station.

Six others sustained injuries in the explosion, and authorities have launched a rescue and relief operation. The injured are currently receiving treatment at a local hospital, while the bodies of the deceased have been sent for postmortem examination.

According to police, the explosion caused a nearby house to collapse, trapping several individuals under the debris. The firecrackers were stored at the factory, which was operating illegally in a residential area.

Deepak Kumar, Inspector General of Agra Range, said, "A firecracker blast occurred in a house used for storage, causing a nearby house's roof to collapse. Police rescued ten people from the debris. Four have died, and six are undergoing treatment."

The victims of the explosion have been identified as Meera Devi (45), Aman (20), Gautam Kushwaha (18), and three-year-old Kumari Ichha.

Local residents reported hearing a loud blast around 10:30 p.m., which caused the building walls to collapse. Seven family members living in the building were buried under the rubble.

The explosion has raised concerns over the illegal storage of firecrackers in densely populated areas. Kumar noted that such storage is prohibited in these areas and that further investigations will be carried out to determine how the factory was allowed to operate.

A state disaster response force (SDRF) team is expected to join the rescue operations, while Firozabad District Magistrate Ramesh Ranjan confirmed that relief efforts are ongoing. Hospitals in the district remain on high alert as rescue teams continue to search the site for survivors.

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