Sitapur (UP), Jul 28 (PTI) An explosion took place in a cartridge factory located in a densely populated area of the city here, a senior police official said on Wednesday.

No casualties have been reported and the situation is under control, he said.

The incident took place late on Tuesday night and a loud explosion was heard by locals after which fire broke out, police said.

Talking to reporters, Circle Officer City Piyush Singh said the explosion took place in a cartridge making unit registered under the name of Pahawa Manufacturers. According to the manager of the unit, cartridges are being manufactured here since 1981 but its license expired in December 2020.

There was some scrap and gunpowder stored in a room at the terrace, which caught fire due to some reason, and as a result of which an explosion took place. The blaze has been controlled, the CO said, adding that investigations have started and the situation is under control.

Locals have, however, questioned as to how this unit was operational in a dense residential locality with expired license.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)