Kakinada (Andhra Pradesh)— A devastating explosion ripped through a firecracker manufacturing unit in Vetlapalem village of Samarlakota mandal on Saturday afternoon, February 28, 2026, claiming the lives of at least 18 workers. The blast occurred at “Surya Sri Fireworks” (also reported as Suryashree), located near the Godavari canal, around 2:00 PM. The intensity of the explosion was so severe that it was heard up to five kilometres away, shattering the afternoon calm and sending plumes of thick, black smoke billowing into the sky.
At the time of the mishap, approximately 20 to 35 workers—the majority of whom were women—were reportedly inside the facility. Preliminary reports suggest that the blast was triggered by the ignition of stored raw materials, leading to a chain reaction that levelled the manufacturing sheds. The force of the explosion was catastrophic; bodies of several victims were reportedly flung into nearby agricultural fields, and the shockwaves caused structural cracks in a private school building in a neighbouring village.
Andhra Pradesh Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha expressed deep grief over the incident and confirmed that the death toll could rise as several of the injured remain in critical condition. “It is a heart-wrenching tragedy. We have shifted the injured to local hospitals and the Kakinada Government General Hospital (GGH) for immediate advanced treatment,” she stated. Emergency response teams, including fire tenders from Kakinada and the Peddapuram industrial complex, were deployed to douse the flames and carry out rescue operations amidst the debris.
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, who was on an official tour of Vizianagaram district, expressed profound shock and immediately reviewed the situation with senior officials. He has ordered a high-level probe into the incident to determine if safety protocols were violated or if the unit was stockpiling explosives beyond permitted limits. The Chief Minister directed the District Collector and the Superintendent of Police to ensure the best medical care for the survivors and promised that the state government would provide full support to the bereaved families.
Local authorities noted that while the unit, owned by the Adapa family (Adabala Veerababu), held a valid license until 2027, the scale of the disaster has raised serious questions regarding workplace safety in the firecracker manufacturing hub of Vetlapalem. As rescue workers continue to clear the wreckage, the community remains in a state of shock over one of the deadliest industrial accidents in the region’s recent history.
