Kakinada, July 06: A 20-year-old youth died on the spot following an explosion in Uppada, a fishermen village, 16 km from here today. The explosion took place when Vummidi Kumar, a fishermen was digging the earth for levelling the ground in front of his house which received rainwater. The intensity of the explosion was so severe that the youth’s body was tossed to a height of 30 feet and fell to a distance of 100 metres from the spot. Other villagers too ran helter-skelter, fearing for their lives. Sub-divisional police officer K Achyutarao, who visited the scene of explosion, opined that the blast might have been caused by some explosive substance dumped along with some waste material there by Naval personnel few months back. The India Navy’s base camp in the nearby Navy Enclave is under construction. It proposed to start an amphibian warfare training school for which the site was acquired two decades back.
East Godavari Superintender of Police Y Nagireddy also visited the spot and conducted preliminary inquiries. Dog squad and ballistic experts from Kakinada district police office were pressed into service to find out the causes for the explosion. Pithapuram MLA Vanga Geeta Viswanath visited the place and consoled the family members of the victim.
—Agencies