KANPUR: Eight people were injured in a firecracker blast on Meston Road, a congested and busy marketplace of the city Wednesday evening. Police say that the crackers were kept in a scooter when they exploded damaging two vehicles and some nearby shops. Four of the injured are critical and have been shifted to Trauma Centre, Lucknow. Others were discharged after primary treatment. The blast took place outside Abdul Hameed's toy shop at Mishri Bazaar in Moolganj. The explosion was so intense that its sound was heard up to 500 metres away, scattering shops on the footpath and shattering windows of nearby houses. The Markaz mosque is situated near the blast site. It's reported that six shops in the market were damaged, with one shop's false ceiling collapsing and some walls cracking.

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