LUCKNOW, Aug. 31 -- A couple was killed and at least five others, including their son, were injured in an explosion at an allegedly illegal firecracker unit in Lucknow's Behta area under the Gudamba police station limits on Sunday morning, police said. Two of the injured were in a critical condition, said an official at KGMU.

District magistrate Vishak G, who visited the site, said the deceased were identified as Mohammad Alam and his wife. "The severe explosion damaged three to four surrounding houses. The exact cause of the fire is being investigated. The priority is treatment," he stated.

According to an official statement from Lucknow Police, Alam, approximately 50, son of the late Khuda Bakhsh, and his wife Munni, 48, died in the b...