The injured were immediately shifted to Nayagarh District Headquarter Hospital, then to Capital Hospital, Bhubaneswar, and finally to SCB Medical College Hospital, Cuttack.
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Five more people succumbed to their injuries while undergoing treatment on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to the kin next of the deceased.
Two persons were killed and 13 others were injured in an explosion in a cracker factory in Tantisahi of Itamati grampanchayat of Nayagarh district yesterday afternoon.
The state government would bear the medical expenses for the injured persons.
Till last reports came in, the condition of the six persons undergoing treatment at SCB, is stated to be critical. Law Minister Arun Sahu, who is MLA of Nayagarh, visited the hospital on Friday.
According to sources, the cracker factory suddenly caught fire which led to an explosion at around 5 pm.
The blast was so severe that more than 10 workers engaged in making firecrackers ahead of Diwali suffered above 50 per cent burn injuries. The reason behind the explosion is yet to be ascertained and investigation by the police is in progress. “We have no idea how the explosion occurred”.
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Preliminary investigation indicated that the unit, where crackers were being prepared, had a huge stock of fire-crackers and the incident might have been accidental, the police said.
