Fourteen people reportedly died in an explosion in Tatarpur area of Bhagalpur district in Bihar on Thursday, 3 March.
The bodies of the fourteen dead so far have been recovered from the rubble, and ten people in critically injured conditions are currently in hospital, undergoing treatment.
"Prima facie it is coming to light that the family was involved in making firecrackers... 2-3 houses damaged. We are further investigating the matter," Subrat Kumar Sen, the District Magistrate of Bhagalpur, said.
"We are in the process of recording the statement of the injured to find out the nature of explosives. We have also called the FSL team to collect the samples as well," he added.
The explosion occurred around 11:30 pm in the night, leading to the collapse of four houses in the area, with the sounds being heard as far as 15 km from the site.
The areas around Bhagalpur are believed to be the grounds for manufacturing bombs and firecrackers illegally.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to take stock of the situation.
"The news of loss of life due to an explosion in Bihar's Bhagalpur is painful. I wish the injured a speedy recovery," he said in a tweet put out after the news of the explosion broke.
Kumar instructed the Chief Secretary and the chief of state police to start investigations into the matter.
He expressed condolences towards the families of the deceased, and wished for their swift recovery.
(With inputs from Dainik Bhaskar, ANI, and IANS.)
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