HYDERABAD: The death toll from the firecracker factory explosion in Hyderabad’s Latifabad area rose to 10 on Monday, following the death of another injured worker, the medical superintendent of Civil Hospital Hyderabad confirmed.
Police said that in addition to the fatalities, more than a dozen people sustained injuries when the factory building collapsed after the blast.
Hyderabad Mayor Kashif Ali Shoro visited the site and vowed strict action against those operating illegal firecracker units without proper safety measures. “Action against illegal factories must be taken,” he told reporters.
An injured worker, Anas, described the premises as both a factory and a warehouse, with manufacturing taking place on the ground floor. He said the unit had been in operation for four to five years, held a licence, and was intentionally located away from residential areas. “More than 10 people were inside when the explosion occurred,” he added.
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah directed authorities to submit a detailed report on the incident and ordered an urgent audit of safety protocols at the factory. The CM emphasized that strict action would be taken against those responsible and stressed that negligence toward workers’ safety would not be tolerated.
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The tragedy echoes a similar incident in Karachi’s Saddar area in August, when a firecracker warehouse explosion killed six people and injured several others.
According to the FIR, the suspects had stockpiled large quantities of fireworks in a disorderly manner and without adequate precautions. The negligence resulted in significant loss of life, multiple injuries, and extensive property damage. One suspect was injured in the blast, while another fled the scene.
