1 Dead, 6 Injured In Diwali ‘Onion Bomb’ Tragedy In Andhra Pradesh

One person was killed and six were injured in an accident involving firecrackers in Andhra Pradesh’s Eluru district. A man on a two-wheeler was carrying a shipment of ‘onion bombs’ – a speciality Diwali firecracker – when the bike hit a pothole near a local temple, and the ‘bombs’ fell off and exploded.

Reports suggest the shipment of Diwali ‘bombs’ had the same explosive power as an IED, or improvised explosive device.

CCTV footage of the tragedy showed two men on a white scooter driving at speed through a narrow street; this was at 12.17 pm. The bike explodes as it approaches a point where the street widens and meets a main road. There was a small group of men – five to six – at the junction.

The force of the explosion is such that the entire area is covered in dark grey smoke, with bits of paper fluttering around. As the smoke clears two men, somehow having survived the blast, come running to safety and parts of the bike and body can be seen scattered in the distance.