Five people were killed on Saturday morning following an accidental explosion involving gelatin sticks during road expansion work in Andhra Pradesh’s Alluri Sitharama Raju district, police reported.
Details of the Road Construction Blast
The tragic incident occurred at Pinakota village within the Anantagiri mandal as workers were conducting rock blasting for a ghat road expansion project. According to law enforcement officials, a specialized device utilizing gelatin sticks misfired during the operation.
The powerful blast destroyed two vehicles at the scene. The fatalities include a local teacher traveling in the opposite direction and three construction workers, alongside the vehicle driver. Four of the deceased have been identified as Sunitha, a teacher from Visakhapatnam; Mani, a worker from Devarapalli; Narayanarao, a worker from Chidikada; and Pavan Kumar, a worker from Kadapa. Local revenue officials and police promptly rushed to the site to initiate rescue operations.
Government Response and Condolences
Andhra Pradesh Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha expressed profound grief over the accident and spoke with the Alluri district collector and Superintendent of Police (SP) to review the situation. Describing the event as deeply tragic, the Home Minister directed authorities to ensure top-tier medical assistance for any injured individuals and assured full government support to the grieving families.
