NDMA, NEERI experts begin probe into Vetlapalem blast in Kakinada district

A two-member expert team comprising Vinod Kumar of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and Hemanth Bharvani of the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI-Hyderabad) is investigating the firecracker blast at a manufacturing unit at Vetlapalem in Kakinada district, in which 28 people died on February 28.

The team has been tasked with probing all the stages of the blast, beginning with the unit details, rescue operation, and parameters of water, air and soil in the vicinity of the blast site. It will also examine the role of stakeholders associated with the firecracker units, including permissions and monitoring.

The experts visited the blast site on Monday. On Tuesday, they sought the reports of the post-mortem from the Medical and Health and Police Departments. The reports of water, soil and air samples have also been sought from the State Pollution Control Board.

In an official release, the experts stated that the detailed probe into the blast is aimed at understanding the challenges in tackling and preventing such incidents in firecracker units in the country.

Officials from Panchayat Raj and Rural Development, Revenue, Factories, Fire Services, and Medical and Health Departments shared their inputs on the blast and rescue operations.