Hyderabad, April 20 -- BRS leader Ravula Sridhar Reddy on Monday said the blast at a firecracker manufacturing unit in Tamil Nadu's Virudhunagar district, which claimed at least 23 lives, was an example of "complete security lapse," and called for effective security measures.

Authorities said one firefighter was also injured during rescue operations at the site. Virudhnagar district collector N O Sukhaputra said that a second blast during rescue operations injured 13 personnel, adding that of the 23 dead, 19 bodies have been identified, 16 women and 3 men. Six injured victims remain in the ICU.

Reddy expressed grievances over the incident and flagged concerns over the lack of safety measures and administrative lapses, attributing them t...