Cracker factory owner son suffer fatal burns

Fatehpur (UP), Oct 5 (PTI) A cracker factory owner and his 15-year-old son were killed after their clothes caught fire while they were cutting a gunpowder-laced rope in a field, police said on Saturday.
     The duo's clothes had gunpowder on them, which caught fire due to a spark emitted from cutting the rope, according to Fatehpur Superintendent of Police (SP) Dhawal Jaiswal.
     He said Chand Babu, a 42-year-old resident of Khaga Kotwali, owned and operated a licensed firecracker factory in Saaton Dharampur village.
     "On Friday evening, he and his 15-year-old son, Aashiyaan, were cutting a gunpowder-laced rope in their field when a spark ignited the gunpowder stuck on their bodies causing severe burns," said the officer.
     Both were rushed to a private hospital.
     While Aashiyaan succumbed to his injuries on Friday night, his father passed away on Saturday.
     Local authorities have launched an investigation into the fatal incident.
     While there was no explosion at the factory, police were examining the circumstances that led to the fire. The body of Chand Babu has been sent for a post-mortem examination.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)