Hyderabad: Coastal Andhra Pradesh, which was trying to recover from last week’s deadly cyclone Hudhud, witnessed another tragedy when at least 13 people died in a blast in a crackers manufacturing factory in East Godavari district on Monday. Another seven injured were rushed to Kakinada government hospital in a critical condition.

Police said the incident occurred at Vakatippa village Uppada Kottpally mandal, 5km away from Kakinada city during lunch break on Monday.

As it was an unauthorised crackers factory, the government does not have any record of how many people were working in the unit when the blast took place. The entire factory was gutted as fire engulfed it following the blast.

Senior officials including the district superintendent of police Ravi Prakash rushed to the scene of the accident. “It is not clear how the blast took place. We are conducting a probe into it,” said Ravi Prakash. However it is believed that accidental fire caused the blast as a huge stock of crackers was kept at the place in view of the coming festival of Diwali.

The crackers units was located next to the revenue department office in the village.

Fire tenders struggled for several hours before the fire could be brought under control.

Officials said that there could have been 25 to 30 people working in the crackers unit. “Luckily it happened during the lunch break. Otherwise the loss of life could have been higher,” Ravi Prakash said.

East Godavari is a neighbouring district of Visakhapatanam.

The incident occurred even as the state Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had appealed to the people of Andhra Pradesh not to burst crackers on this Diwali, specially in the port city of Visakhapatnam which suffered unprecedented damage in the Hudhud cyclone.

As hundreds of thousands of trees were uprooted by the cyclone and there were apprehensions that the dried up leaves and trees may catch up fire due to the bursting of crackers, officials have decided not to issue license to crackers shops this year. “We have cancelled the licenses already issued,” said JV Ramudu, the director general of police. “We estimate that the city was sitting on a stockpile of over 1 million fallen trees,” he said.

The police have launched a drive to remove the stalls of crackers already set up in Visakhapatnam.

“Instead of bursting crackers, I appeal to the people to celebrate the festival of lighting lamps and candles,” Chief Minister Naidu said.

He expressed deep shock over the loss of life in the blast and conveyed his sympathies to the bereaved families.