Gurdaspur, Oct 22: Seven people, including two women, were injured in an explosion that occurred while they were making Diwali firecrackers in Dharmadad village, about eight kilometres from Punjab’s Dera Baba Nanak township, on Tuesday night, police said.
The victims were reportedly mixing Gandhak-Potash powder—a highly explosive substance used in traditional firecrackers—when the blast occurred. The explosion caused panic in the area, shattering window panes and damaging several houses nearby.
“They were fiddling with the Gandhak-Potash powder while attempting to make crackers. The blast was so loud that the window panes of surrounding houses either broke or developed large cracks,” said a police officer at the scene. “The powder carries a serious risk of accidental detonation when mishandled,” he noted.
The injured were initially rushed to the Dera Baba Nanak Civil Hospital but were later referred to a private facility in Amritsar after doctors assessed their condition as critical.
Station House Officer (SHO) Ashok Sharma, along with a police team, reached the spot soon after the incident and began an investigation to determine the cause and source of the explosive material.
