Five persons, including a minor, were seriously injured on Saturday when an illegal stockpile of firecrackers exploded in Deoria in Uttar Pradesh, police said.
The incident occurred inside a house at Bhingari Bazaar. The crackers had been stored for Diwali, a police officer said.
The 60-year-old Waqil, who trades in firecrackers, was also injured in the blaze that followed. The others injured included Bijlis, 25, Arman, 30, and Munnu, 8. One person is yet to be identified. Two of them were reportedly in critical condition.
The victims told the police that the explosion was triggered by a gas cylinder.