Varanasi, Oct. 15 -- A massive explosion ripped through a two-storey residential building in the Sarnath area here on Thursday, triggering its collapse and leaving at least three people injured, according to officials.

The blast is suspected to have occurred at an illegal firecracker manufacturing unit operating inside the densely populated residential locality.

Upon receiving information about the incident near Purana Pul, senior administrative and police officials, along with teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and Fire Services, rushed to the spot to initiate search and rescue operations.

In a briefing on the incident, an administrative official stated that rescue teams pulle...