LUCKNOW, Feb. 8 -- Three people were killed in an explosion at a kite string manufacturing unit in the Qila area of Bareilly district on Friday morning.

The unit owner was among the three killed in the explosion, which occurred when workers were readying a mixture of 'gandhak potash' or potassium sulphate to be mixed with powdered glass for coating kite strings or 'manjha', confirmed senior police officials.

However, police were uncertain of what caused the explosion.

They said the blast was so intense that the bodies were badly bruised and the hand of one of the deceased got separated from his body. People in the vicinity panicked as the factory surrounds crowded Bakarganj residential locality that falls under the Qila police station ...