Paradip, Feb 27 (PTI) At last three persons were killed and two others critically injured in an explosion at a firecracker manufacturing unit in Odisha's Jagatsinghpur district on Tuesday, police said.

The incident happened at Madhuri Bazaar in Gopalpur village in Balikuda police station area in the afternoon.

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The explosion took place after a fire broke out at the unit. The explosion was so powerful that it ripped apart the asbestos roof of the house, police said.

While two persons died on the spot, another succumbed to burn injuries at the hospital, they said.

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The two injured persons were rushed to the district hospital, and later shifted to the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack as their conditions deteriorated.

The deceased were identified as Susant Kumar Prusty, the owner of the cracker unit, and his employees Dilu Mohanty and Bulu Das.

(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)